The Recusant's Fate
by TheChaosHero
Summary: During what was fated to be his final fight with the Androids, Gohan miraculously survives the encounter only to be dragged into a conflict that spans across the universe. In a world that has only shown him Hell, can Gohan ascend to his role as a hero and stand up to the might of the Androids, Majin Buu and more? (On Hiatus while I finish writing the story to avoid more delays.)
1. Chapter 0: Prologue

**Chapter 0: Prologue**

* * *

He fought the best he could, challenging the two tyrants of his planet while still having a broken left arm. But he failed. Lying in the cold puddles left for him by the rain, Gohan waited for death. His blood slowly leaked out of the cuts surrounding him and he counted.

10 minutes, 20, an hour had passed and yet he still drew breath. His mission wasn't over. He crawled out of the craters his duel had made, pain emanating from his sides, until he saw it. Two shadowy figures watching over him.

"The Androids!" He thought as his mind began to panic and he felt his hope replaced with rage and despair. But as they drew closer he realized he had never seen these two before.

In front of him was a small young man with a light purple skin and a white Mohawk while the other was a tall and aged man with bright red skin and long hair reaching down to his shoulders. Their ears were pointy, reminding Gohan of his deceased master.

"Who are you people?" Gohan said, his voice a weak whisper from fatigue.

The smaller of the two looked down at him and answered:

"All in time my young friend. But for now there are matters we must speak of. Let us go to a more peaceful setting. Kibito?" The young man turned to his acquaintance who nodded.

The red figure, responding to the name Kibito, placed his hand on Gohan's right arm while the other man placed his tiny purple hand on Kibito's back. Gohan felt a strange rush as his eyes began to see their scenery change.

Rather than the dark ruins of a city being rained down on, Gohan found himself lying on the bright green grass of a plain.

He looked up to see the two figures still looking down on him. Gohan's eyes began to weigh heavily on him, his wounds now fully impacting him.

But before his world faded out completely, he heard a single sentence from the purple man:  
"You will do great things Gohan, we can see it."

* * *

**Author's Note:**_ I understand that this is a noticeably short prologue but I chose this size in order to provide a small preview for reader's into the general plot of the series. I may go and rectify this in the future but for now I plan to leave it at this length. One thing that I feel must be noted before reading the rest of the series in order to avoid confusion: Gohan never lost his arm to the Androids. While it occurred in canon, for the purposes of my story I've changed it to him having a broken arm as a result of a sneak attack by Android 18 as a reference to Vegeta's injury. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy my first fanfic on the site: The Recusant's Fate! Below, you can see the table of contents for sagas:_

_The Rebirth Saga: Chapters 1 to 10_

_The World Tree Saga: Chapters 11-14_


	2. Chapter 1: Limits

**Chapter 1: Limits**

* * *

Gohan winced as he opened his eyes. The brightness of his new surroundings was hard for him to get used to. He moved to cover it with his left hand. His left hand?

He starred at it, now fully healed. He remembered how Android 18 had broken it after jumping into his fight with Android 17.

"I see that you're awake now."

Gohan turned around to see Kibito standing in front of him, still bearing the same serious expression he had when they met. Kibito gestured for Gohan to follow, who did so promptly.

Gohan looked around to see an odd but nostalgic area. While the grass was the same green as his home planet's, the sky was a darker shade of blue that transitioned into a dark pink as Gohan looked farther back. In the sky he saw a moon. Then another one. There were four moons in total that were scattered about the sky.

"I understand that your planet has only one moon," Kibito said as he walked up from behind Gohan.

"Yeah it does. Where are we?" Gohan asked, attempting to be friendly though growing impatient. He needed to get back home, to train Trunks and to stop the Androids. Gohan thought back to his healed body. These men had helped him when he was hurt. They deserved his time.

"This is the Sacred World of the Kais," Kibito stated, finally smiling as though he was remembering something comforting. Gohan wondered if he ever looked that way when Trunks asked him about the other Z-Warriors.

They were his heroes just as much as his father was. He remembered how strong they all seemed when the Saiyans arrived all those years ago. And how much pain he felt sensing each of their deaths as ki left them. He recalled the pure rage that overcame him when he stood over their bodies. He wondered if Kibito had experienced a similar tragedy, one that left him only able to remember good times rather than have them again.

"You look troubled."

Gohan saw the purple man fly towards him and land next to Kibito. "I appreciate how both of you helped me but I need to take care of things back on my home planet." Gohan frankly stated.

The purple man sighed and took on a grave expression. "I'm sorry Gohan but we cannot take you home right now. You're needed here."

The way he spoke angered Gohan. While these two did save him, they were also keeping him from his home. Every minute he spent with them was another minute for the Androids to continue terrorizing humanity.

He saw it in his mind. Another woman strangled by Android 17. Another girl crying for her grandpa only for Android 18 to kill her with an energy blast.

And he thought of Trunks, now forced to take up the burden of protecting Earth. The same burden Gohan was forced to carry after the death of the Z-Warriors.

"No, you're going to take me home. My friend needs me. My entire planet needs me!" Gohan could feel his power increasing out of anger but he wasn't going to calm down. He felt his hair rising up from its natural position and the ground around him shaking. His hair began to glow, a golden flare replacing his natural black color. Emeralds gleamed in his eyes as he ascended to the next level: Super Saiyan.

"That's enough of your insolence! You are challenging the Supreme Kai! How dare you be so disrespectful to him!" Kibito glared down at Gohan, clearly upset by Gohan's defiance and threat to his master. Kibito began to speak up again, only to be cut off by the Supreme Kai. "Thank you Kibito, but I understand our friend's frustration. I believe it's time we provide you with some answers."

Gohan immediately regretted his outburst after hearing the Supreme Kai's words. These two had saved his life and even risked their own in doing so. He should've listened to them. They were Kais after all. His father was trained by a Kai, it was what made him able to defeat the Saiyans. Gohan reverted to his base form and bowed his head as an apology to the Supreme Kai.

"I'm glad to see you've calmed down now. But I'm still surprised by how strong you are." Supreme Kai laughed, dispelling all the tension that had remained. "You see I've been waiting for someone. Someone with the power to save this universe. And I believe that someone is you."

Gohan was stunned. He couldn't even save his own planet from the Androids. How could someone expect him to save a universe full of villains?

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but as I am now I can't do anything. You saw my fight before. I can't save anyone." Gohan could feel the heavy weight of his failures overtake him: All the deaths from the Saiyans that he was too afraid, the Namekians slaughtered by Frieza's men because he was too weak, the people massacred by the Androids because he was too slow.

"Perhaps not yet, but you will be in the future." Supreme Kai spoke with sincerity to Gohan, as though he knew failure himself. Gohan noted it but figured he shouldn't say anything. Just like Kibito, it seemed the Supreme Kai had a past that haunted him.

"Would I be able to defeat the Androids if I do what you say?" Gohan looked straight into the Supreme Kai's eyes, trying to see any hints of deception.

"Yes." A frank but powerful answer to Gohan. He would be able to end the nightmare and free his world. He could avenge his friends' deaths and give Trunks a real future. For that, Gohan would do anything.

"Alright Supreme Kai. Whatever you need from me I'll do. Where do we begin?" Gohan asked, anxious to grow stronger.

Kibito stepped in front of Gohan and began to speak. "Do what you did before, that transformation."

Gohan stared blankly back at him. "You mean Super Saiyan?" he asked.

Kibito nodded and Gohan started to power up again. He harnessed the rage he always did when transforming, reminding himself of all the atrocities he'd seen. He recalled standing by Piccolo's lifeless corpse, begging for it to be an illusion. He felt the overwhelming hatred at seeing Krillin's burned body. He felt every death he was unable to stop, all the people that prayed for him to defeat the Androids only to be added to their death toll.

And then, it hit: Gohan ascended.

Panting, Gohan stopped powering up and looked to the two Kais.

"What else you got?" he asked, ready to proceed. Yet the Supreme Kai only looked annoyed. "You're not done, keep charging your ki," he commanded as though Gohan was choosing to have a limit to his power.

"That's not how it works," Gohan lectured, irritated by the man's criticism. "This is a Saiyan's full potential, the final level for our people." Gohan stated, recalling Vegeta's explanation back on Namek. It was called "The Legendary Super Saiyan" after all.

"We understand what you're saying but please do try. We believe that there is much to learn from this exercise." Kibito added in an attempt to convince Gohan. Wanting to believe in their words, Gohan tried to power up again.

_My energy's peaked, what do they expect from me? I can feel it, I'm only wasting energy, nothing is going to happen!_

His frustration at the pointlessness of the task infuriated Gohan. He saw no reason to continue when he had reached his limit already. He would never surpass the Androids now. The realization hit him as he kept attempting to power up. He would always be weaker than them.

They were designed to kill his father, a man who left a shadow Gohan was stuck following. He was always in his father's shadow but now it was hitting him how little he had accomplished. He saw it every time he visited Bulma, the disappointment as she looked past the orange gi he wore and saw Gohan's face in place of his father's. It was the same look his mother and grandfather showed when he came over to check on them.

He knew they cared about him, of course they did. But deep down Gohan knew they never believed in him, they believed in Goku.

That doubt angered Gohan. Why didn't they believe in him? He was all there was for Earth. He was the only one to fight against the Androids while everyone else could only run away. He alone bore the scars of battle, the permanent marks that ran across his face.

No, he wasn't alone. Trunks had fought with him once and nearly died. Now that he was gone what happened to Trunks?

Had he gone off to fight the Androids and already die? Was everyone dead now? Had the life already been taken from his family while he was away? And how long had he been here? How long had he been charging up since the Kais told him to keep trying?

5 minutes...10 minutes...20?

_Why is nothing happening? Is this my limit? Was this how far Vegeta got? What About Dad? Can I reach their level? Is it all for nothing? _

Gohan looked up to Kibito and Supreme Kai, seeing faces filled with disappointment at his results. Faces reminding him of the doubt he'd seen from everyone else: that he would never beat the Androids because he's too limited. It had all been for this: nothing.

_No! It can't be, I won't let it! I'm Stronger than this!_

Suddenly more ki began flowing out of him. He felt his energy skyrocket and realized the Kais were right. He was still in his Super Saiyan form, but the power he had was quickly increasing, surpassing both the power of Vegeta and his father.

_With this, I can beat the Androids, I can do anything! I can-_

But Gohan's body wasn't ready to maintain such a sudden burst of power. He felt himself losing consciousness as his body collapsed to the ground, unable to balance him any longer.

"Incredible! I would never have expected such a young man to contain that much power!" Kibito said, shocked at the results of the exercise. "Master, what is next for him?" Kibito asked. The Supreme Kai turned away from him and looked toward one single, thin but tall mountain.

"What else but remove the Z-Sword?" he smirked. Turning back to Gohan, Supreme Kai felt a renewed hope for the universe.

_You'll learn the pain of defeat soon enough Babidi..._

* * *

She felt completely alone in the darkness. She couldn't see her comrades. In fact, she couldn't see anything.

_How did it come to this? I thought we were invincible. It had never even been a challenge before. From planet to planet the World's greatest warriors fell in battle against us. But it just took one man to beat us all._

She remembered his serious expression as he tore through their group, defeating them one by one. She remembered his smug grin as she tried with all her might to beat him, only to miss with every kick and punch she threw.

She recalled the scars that ran across his face, and the bloody head and wrist bands he sported. She remembered the black and spiky hair he had and the eyes of matching color.

She felt the terror that came from said hair rising up before her into an overwhelming Gold tint and the panic when he brought his face close to hers and she could see an emerald green replacing the black in his eyes.

But what she remembered most was what he said to her, that single line before he transformed and humiliated them.

"These people are under my protection and as the Legendary Super Saiyan, I will make sure your violence ends here!"

_Saiyan...Saiyan...Saiyan_

She made sure she would remember the word. One day she would get out of this prison. And when she did, she would reign hell on him. On that day, she would make him suffer.

Zangya would have her revenge.

* * *

**Author's Note:** _Well, here's the first real chapter of the series. I understand that this chapter may still be shorter than most but I hope I'll improve as I continue to work on the series. Anyway, as you can see from this chapter that I plan on having Gohan be a very conflicted protagonist. When I thought back to Future Gohan, I realized that while he is one of my favorite characters in the Dragon Ball Franchise, he's also a really dark character. Toriyama and even more so Toei Animation wrote the character as a failure. Despite becoming a Super Saiyan, Gohan was caught in a life-long war with the Androids that would only end when he was brutally murdered in battle with them in his failed attempt to save a destroyed city. It's through this tragedy that I was motivated to tell the story of Gohan in a world where the Androids still were savage killers but he was able to survive the battle that killed him in Trunks' timeline. _

_For this chapter specifically, I want to clarify something in case people are not sure as to what I'm doing with the Zangya scene, since I noticed many people commented on their confusion. In Bojack Unbound, it's revealed that Bojack and his henchmen were originally sealed away by King Kai but after his death during the Cell Games, the group was freed. However, obviously none of that happened in this future timeline. As a result, the group is still sealed away by King Kai and awaiting their escape. Now as for Zangya's monologue, it's implied in the film that they were all captured a long time ago so I decided to take the unknown elements of their story and create my own version of it. Essentially, the group was defeated by the original Legendary Super Saiyan._

_Anyway, thanks for checking out my series!_


	3. Chapter 2: Relativity

**Chapter 2: Relativity**

* * *

"Please, do what you want to me but spare my AUGH!"

Tired of hearing the same old plea, Android 18 fired a beam straight through the man's chest and into his daughter's head.

"This is Boring!" she moaned to her brother, still busy finishing up his half of the refugees.

"You're right," he chuckled as he held a young woman up by her neck. "Your dad boasted about being the strongest man in the world yet he couldn't handle a simple kick. Kind of says a lot about you humans, doesn't it?" he laughed, enjoying the girl's heartbreaking experience.

Android 18 decided to add some fire to the flame, "And could you believe how he went on and on about his daughter Videl, how he wouldn't let us near her? Yet instead of running while he tried to stall us, you stayed to fight? Way to spit on your old man's grave."

The young girl cried out for help, only to be silenced by Android 17's hand.

"Hey 18, you wanna see how long it takes for her to die?" Android 17 asked.

"Meh, sounds kind of boring." Android 18 retorted, finding the act a waste of time.

"How about this then," he stated while Videl struggled to get free, kicking against Android 17's arm. His hand tightened around her face in annoyance as he continued, "I let her go and have her try to run out of the city without dying. Whoever catches and kills her without using ki blasts wins but if she makes it out, we let her live." He looked back to the girl wriggling against his hand. "Fine with you?" he asked, fully aware she had no choice.

"Mmph!" she yelled in an attempt at defiance. "That's cute," he smirked, enjoying the helpless sight.

"I don't know 17, she seems pretty fast for a human. It doesn't seem like fun if she can just get out of it." Android 18 stated.

"True," he conceded as he thought of a way to make the game more interesting. A sinister grin emerged from his face as he began to explain his latest idea. "What if we just-" pausing to look at the girl for a reaction as he placed his other hand on her leg, "-break her leg?"

"MMMMMMMPPPPPPPHHHHHHHHH!" the girl wailed as she felt the android twist her leg around until the bone snapped. Crying in agony, she screamed for a release from her pain which was answered by Android 17 taking his hand away and letting her fall with her broken leg hitting the floor straight on.

"If you're done with your torture session, can we begin the game already?" Android 18 pestered her brother while ignoring the injured girl in front of her. He nodded in agreement and the Androids began to walk away to give their prey a head start.

Android 17 turned back and shouted. "Better hurry up! Don't want to see your dad too soon, do you?" before flying to his sister.

From one of the few buildings the duo left standing Android 18 stared down at the girl. She was weak and that always made the female android mad. To her, the weak were a plague and her brother and she were the cure.

That's what made fighting "Blondie" so frustrating. He was strong yet he would get in the way of all of their fun. It was weird, why would he defend the weak? It seemed completely unnatural to her.

_Who cares?_ she thought, thinking back on his death. _He's out of the picture already, no one can interfere with our fun now._

"Yo, it's starting!" Android 17 yelled to his sister in excitement. They both watched as the broken Videl stumbled along to escape the city. "Turn around," he ordered his sister and he began his count down from 20.

"20...19...18..."

Videl felt panic take over as she began to run straight forward, praying for there to be an exit close by. Pain erupted from her right leg with every step until she felt herself begin to fall.

"...14...13...12..."

She tried to stand up but her right leg kept her knees grounded. Knowing that soon they'd be upon her, Videl crawled as fast as she could, dragging her body across the ground in hopes of escaping her death.

"...8...7...6..."

The numbers were winding down. The fear was suffocating her and she could only think of the terrible things the Androids had in store for her.

"2...1...START!"

The Androids charged forward, excited to beat the other in this modified game of cat and mouse. But Android 17 decided to make things even more interesting. He had seen how little distance the girl had made and wanted to have their game become even more intense. He lifted a broken car and threw it on the ground causing the car to erupt in a blinding smoke and consuming fire.

"Dammit 17, now she's going to get away!" Android 18 complained, irritated by her brother's sudden interference. He however, found this disruption to be amusing.

Videl turned over her shoulder upon hearing the explosion, then began moving as fast as she could. Soon the exit became visible to her; she could see where the city ended and the bare wastelands began.

_Dad, it's okay. I made it out alive. I'm not strong enough to beat them, I know that now. But I'm alive! I'm alive!_

She felt relief overwhelm her as she lay down knowing she had survived. Then she heard the Androids descend behind her. Quickly turning around, her happiness began to disappear as grief took its place.

"Yo Sis, I think she actually bought it." Android 17 joked, amused at the girl's ignorant optimism.

"Obviously, this is the same girl who thought she could beat us." His sister replied. "I guess we've got to call this a tie though, since she did make it out of the city." she added on, disappointed with the results.

"Yeah, sorry about the car thing," he jokingly apologized "but it's much more fun when they think they've won. It's true and you know it," he teased to his sister.

"Alright, you got me there," Android 18 admitted while charging a ki blast straight at Videl.

Videl, now knowing her death was inevitable, began to speak her mind to the Androids. She wanted to at least in some way get back at them, no matter how small the attack.

"You're both-!"

Her final words were cut off by the Android's blast, disintegrating her body into nothing but one small stump. It was her right leg.

Android 17 laughed at the irony before destroying the remaining limb. The two flew away, still pleased with their game's outcome.

* * *

A freezing sensation forced Gohan out of his sleep.

"AUGH!" He shouted, flying out of the lake he found himself in. Looking down to the plain beside it, he saw the two Kais snickering at him. Irritated by their amusement at his reaction, Gohan flew back down while swearing to get back at them. "You want to explain what that was about?" he asked, more annoyed than curious at that point. "Well we thought of simply waking you, but we figured you needed a bath anyway," Supreme Kai jested. Gohan turned to Kibito to see a similar grin on his face, clearly enjoying the interaction.

Gohan sighed, attempting to expel his frustration with the two. However, another glance at their expressions only angered him more. "Move on already," he demanded, tired of their taunting. He wanted to ignore his embarrassment and focus on something else. He wanted to finish with what the kais needed in order to get back home and stop the androids.

_Stop the Androids? Could I now?_

He paused to think of what had happened before he passed out. He remembered the power he felt surge through him and how incredible it was. How strong was he now? He had to test it out. He'd try again with his power up, to see if he could harness it again. He looked up to the two Kais and smiled.

_This'll let me get back at them._

"HHHAAAAAAAAA!" Gohan shouted, exerting his ki outward and forcing his body to ascend into his Super Saiyan form once more. The Kais turned in surprise to Gohan's sudden charging, only to be sent backwards by the intensity of his power. Gohan felt his body bulk up slightly, the usual result of the transformation, although the change felt more noticeable. After feeling as though he had charged his ki enough, he stopped and looked at himself. While the basic traits that came with the form remained, the emerald eyes and golden hair, the golden aura he had seemed brighter than it usually was. He wondered if the same changes extended to his face too. He turned to the lake and looked at his reflection and saw similar results; his emerald eyes eclipsed his reflection with a gleam and his golden hair become a much bolder shade of the color, nearly the color gold itself.

He heard the Kais fly back to their original position, humbled by Gohan's retaliation. Gohan looked back at them and repeated his request to move forward with the training. Eager to move past their humiliation, the Supreme Kai cleared his throat and spoke. "Gohan, do you see that tall and thin mountain over there?"

Gohan turned in the direction he pointed and nodded after it met his line of sight. "There's a sword that has been buried in the mountain for thousands of years. I need you to remove it." The task seemed easy to Gohan, but the way the Supreme Kai spoke, it seemed like a difficult job to complete. Kibito's expression only further told Gohan of the challenge the request presented.

Gohan decided to ignore what he observed and instead fly to the mountain to attempt the sword's removal. Landing at the top, he saw the hilt stick out of the ground, the sword seeming to be stuck deep within the top of the structure. The Kais quickly caught up to him and Supreme Kai began his instructions. "The sword is meant to be removed only by the chosen one," he stated, once again reminding Gohan of the faith Kibito and the Supreme Kai had for him.

Gohan wrapped his hands around the hilt and pulled at it, using all his might to lift it, only to have his hands slip out and for him to lose his balance, falling onto his back. "Simply pulling at the sword will not yield results," Kibito corrected. "You need to rely on all the power you have. Anything less will leave the sword in place." Gohan thought back to the first lesson. He was meant to push his limits farther than he ever had, allowing him to channel more of his energy. This is what that exercise had been leading to. This is what his newfound power was meant to achieve.

He placed his hands around the hilt once more and planted his feet firmly into the ground. He took one deep breath, then another. "HHHAAAAAAAAA!" Gohan shouted as he called upon all the power he had. This sword was what stood between him and home. Between him and his family, his friends. Between him and the Androids.

_The Androids..._

He felt the piercing hatred that consumed him when he saw their faces. Those were the faces that haunted him at night, the faces of the people who left his world in ruins. That rage became his strength. He recalled explaining the feeling to Trunks, just before he went to fight the Androids one last time.

"I feel a horrible hurt and the pain from that turns into rage. It's maddening. I don't want it to ever happen again, something that unfair. And then suddenly, the dam breaks."

The memory of his friends' deaths ran through Gohan's mind again. He imagined fighting the Androids one more time and being able to defeat them. His dream would come true. But not if he was stuck here, not if he was forever unable to remove this damned sword.

_I will do this! I will do this! I will do this!_

He chanted the thought in his mind, over and over again. His ki became more and more powerful as the hours went by. Soon the mountain began to shake from the force of Gohan's power. The Kais quickly flew up to escape the impact as the mountain began collapsing on itself.

"Can he really do this Master?" Kibito asked, still doubting whether the Saiyan could truly be the chosen one. Supreme Kai turned to Kibito and sighed. "To be honest, as of now there's no way to be sure. The chosen one has always had a vague description and up until recently I had never even considered someone other than a Kai to be able to." Supreme Kai spoke without moving his glare away from Gohan. This was what mattered now. This was his life's work. Gohan had to remove the sword, otherwise there would be no hope.

Now the mountain had completely fallen and was surrounded in a dust cloud from hitting the ground. Unable to see Gohan anymore, the two Kais raced down to see the results. After the smoke cleared the two looked around to see Gohan resting on one knee, his back facing them. He had reverted to his base form and he was panting heavily. He stood up and turned to face them, his right hand holding the sword in it, now free from the mountain at last.

A smile emerged from the Kais faces as they processed the situation. "You did it!" Supreme Kai shouted, running over to see the fully exposed blade. Gohan released a pained laugh as he spoke. "Looks like I am the chosen one after all." He fell backwards and closed his eyes as his body rested on the cool grass beneath him. "I'll be good soon, just give me a minute to catch my breath," he pleaded.

"Of course," Kibito said, understanding the fatigue Gohan had felt. Both he and his master had attempted to remove the sword multiple times only to find themselves weary afterwards.

* * *

The two androids returned home to the lab they initial awoke from deep into the mountains. Android 17 sighed as he reflected on the repetitive nature of their lives. Ever since they had killed Gohan, they had realized the dullness of the two's daily refugee raids.

"What else is there to do?" he whined to his sister, looking for an answer he knew she wouldn't have. She stared blankly at him, unable to form an answer. It was clear that she had been lost in thought over their lives too. The brother looked around the lab to see if there was anything fun to do. He glanced at the pods he and his sister initially woke up from. He looked down to the robotic corpse of their creator, Doctor Gero, the man he had killed just after awakening them.

And then Android 17 saw it. The ladder to the basement. He had already explored some of it after killing Vegeta but now he felt like seeing the rest. He signaled for Android 18 and pointed to it. The two descended into the basement and began walking around.

They looked towards the center of the room where broken glass, burned metal and dried liquid was scattered. In the early years of their reign the two had found, in place of the current sight, Gero's secret project: A Bio-Mechanical Android. Contained in a glass container filled with green liquid, the small and frail bug was meant to grow to be the strongest warrior.

The Androids made sure that wouldn't happen though. Upon seeing the insect, Android 18 reacted in disgust and fired a ki blast that destroyed both the creature and all that supported its life. All that remained of the incident was the current debris.

The two turned away from the site of the bug's demise and began exploring elsewhere.

Android 18 went to the back of the basement to see the scrapped designs Gero had left unfinished.

_Androids 13, 14, 15, and 16...16? How did I miss you?_ She thought to herself, surprised to have left one of the Androids unnoticed for so long.

She looked through the glass and saw the mysterious android. A tall and sturdy man was hidden behind the pod's case with a Strange Green and Black Suit covering his body. His ears were pierced similarly to herself and Android 17 and his hair was a distinct red Mohawk. She looked at the buttons to the right of the case and saw a tiny screen with smaller text scattered across it.

"Status: Functional," she read, surprised that there was an inactive android that could join them. "Hey 17," she called in order to get his attention. "I've found another Android, #16." Shocked by his sister's words the brother ran over to see the revelation. "Well, let's wake him up," he said energetically. His finger quickly tapped the button labeled "OPEN" and the two stood in awe as the awakening commenced.

A loud sound erupted from the pod as the door rose from its originally vertical position upwards to a horizontal stance. Inside, the sleeping Android's eyes lit up a strange red hue before then changing into a bright blue color. He placed his hand onto the side of the pod and pulled himself out. He glanced down at the two before him and an emotionless robotic voice spoke out to them. "Where is Goku?" he asked, recalling his programming. It was his duty to kill Goku and it was something he would not rest until seeing completed.

"Easy big guy," Android 17 said, "Goku's been dead for a long time." The newly awoken Android paused for a moment to process the statement. After finally waking up from his long slumber, his programmed goal was already completed. Noticing the new Android's depressing expression, Android 18 decided to cheer him up, the only way she knew how.

"We've found a life outside of killing Goku. Something more fun than you could imagine." Her tone appealed to Android 16 and she had piqued his interest. "What is this experience?" he asked, curious as to what could be better than fulfilling his life's purpose. "Why don't we just show you?" Android 17 said, excited by the addition of another member to their group. The three proceeded to leave the basement and lab altogether, flying off towards a new city with Android 17 and 18 guiding their new friend.

* * *

It had been 32 hours since the training began and Gohan was finally feeling the fatigue hit him. He panted like a dog as he finished his latest set of sword swings and sat down on the grass, his back resting on a nearby boulder. He hadn't felt so worn out from training since back when Piccolo began to teach him.

Kibito appeared before him with a towel, offering it to Gohan to wipe his face. Gohan accepted and began to laugh. "It's funny," he began, "It's been so long since I've really trained and I only have bad memories of it. Yet I've realized from this just how much I have missed pushing myself. I guess that's all from my Saiyan half."

Kibito smiled, a sight Gohan was still surprised to see, and began to respond. "I'm surprised by your love of training too. Most would not be pleased to train for over a day straight." Gohan's eyes shot up to face Kibito as he heard his words.

_Over a day? How long have I been here?_

While Gohan had become comfortable training on the planet, he had still wanted to return home as soon as possible. Yet he had let himself become distracted from his goals. The Androids were still wreaking havoc and he was far away. It was then that Gohan had an idea.

"Hey Kibito, how is it that you're able to travel so far over such a small duration?" Gohan asked. While he truly was genuinely curious about the technique, he had an ulterior motive. Kibito seemed pleased that Gohan was taking interest in his abilities and so he began to explain the concept.

"It's a difficult but valuable technique I take much pride in knowing. It requires the user to understand not only how to manipulate their ki but their relativity as well."

Gohan stared back at him, slightly aloof. He thought back to the term "relativity" and all he could recall was the material his mother forced him to study in his spare time but he doubted that held the answer in this case. Seeing Gohan confused, Kibito began to elaborate.

"Essentially, you must understand where you exist relative to the rest of the universe. It's important to understand how your ki adds to the overall energy of the Universe and how you can harness that union." Gohan nodded to show his comprehension. "You use your union between yourself and the universe in order to allow your ki to focus on another location, one that is also connected to the overall flow of Ki."

Gohan thought back to his father's instant transmission and how simplified his explanation was, albeit vague. If only his father had taught him that technique before he had passed on.

Kibito snapped his fingers in order to regain Gohan's attention and began to display the technique. "Let's focus on another area that connects to the overall flow of Ki." He paused in order to determine an interesting location. Signaling for Gohan to place his hand on Kibito's shoulder, he began the teleportation.

The two found themselves on an a miniscule planet, its size barely containing a small home and a car. Gohan turned to look around and saw beneath the orbiting sphere was a long path with jagged edges towards the sides, reminding him of a snake.

_Something about this place seems familiar but I've never been here._

"Aw, who is it and what do you want?" A groaning voice echoed from the home. The two turned to see a short and blue man emerge from the house, dressed in black robes with a large emblem encompassing the front of the robe. Gohan looked at the symbol and recalled the same design on his father's clothes during his fight with the Saiyans.

The man looked up to Gohan and gasped as though he had seen a ghost.

"Are you by chance King Kai?" Gohan asked, hesitant to speak to the man who at one point trained his father.

_He must be quite disciplined if he was able to teach Dad._

The man nodded, still shocked by Gohan's appearance. Gohan ignored it and continued. "You taught my father, Goku, years ago. I'm his son, Gohan." King Kai's shock subsided as he processed the situation and he began to nod as though there was much to consider.

"I see, well then let us begin." He spoke as though they had agreed to something and Gohan looked to Kibito in confusion. Kibito simply gestured for Gohan to follow King Kai to which he reluctantly did.

"Now as I understand it, you want to learn my techniques, is that it?" King Kai asked. Gohan stared blankly at him, surprised by this sudden scenario. Gohan cleared his throat and nervously replied. "Actually, I was brought here by that man, Kibito, as a demonstration for his teleportation technique. I'm sorry but I didn't come here for your teachings." He bowed both out of respect and guilt and began to walk away before stopping once he heard a snicker behind him.

King Kai went into hysterics, laughing loudly at Gohan. "Oh man, to think you're Goku's son! You're his complete opposite! I thought I'd be dealing with some rude muscle-head but it looked like this acorn is on a completely different planet than the tree!" He continued chuckling about the differences between Gohan and Goku to the point where it bothered Gohan.

Before he could express his irritation, he was cut off by the loud grunts of a monkey who had descended from a nearby tree. Gohan sighed and began to walk towards Kibito, ignoring the two behind him.

"Hey, you mind if I try the technique now?" Gohan asked, excited to see if his plan could work. Kibito nodded in response, and so Gohan began to focus. He thought back to Earth, his planet that was in danger from the Androids. However, he struggled to focus given the noise both King Kai and his monkey were making.

Gohan thought of Earth and focused his ki. But the sound of King Kai only became louder to him and soon he was losing concentration, his mind was racing. He thought of his father's training with the Kais in order to prepare for the Saiyans. He thought of the Saiyans, now rotting in Hell. Now in Otherworld himself, Gohan could sense the malevolent Ki rising from it.

_Hell..._

Gohan let the thought linger, perhaps too long. Soon, he was gone, already vanished in a fragment of time. Kibito smirked, pleased with his effective instruction and began to teleport back Kais where he expected to see Gohan. He focused his mind and just as Gohan had done, he vanished off the planet, leaving King Kai alone with his monkey.

The monkey began to grunt to his master in what seemed to be gibberish to which King Kai reacted sincerely. "Yes Bubbles, I noticed it too. His face is riddled with tragedy," he paused. "Fate will not be kind to him."

* * *

Kibito returned back to the Sacred World, only to find himself alone. Where was Gohan? Before he could decipher an answer, Supreme Kai arrived with a concerned expression.

"Where is Gohan? I sensed the two of you visit King Kai but now I can't seem to locate his ki." Kibito froze.

_Could he have gone back to Earth? No, it's too soon for that! _

Kibito's mind was racing as he began searching for Gohan's energy on Earth but even with his experience as an aid to the Supreme Kai he could not detect Gohan. Supreme Kai glared at him, irritated by Kibito's silence. Kibito muttered his answer.

"I taught Gohan the instant transmission and now it seems he got himself lost." He awaited his master's backlash, but it never came. The Supreme Kai instead sighed and seemed to contemplate what could have occurred.

"I don't sense his presence on Earth, do you think he might have gone somewhere else?" Supreme Kai looked up at Kibito, showing the fear that had overtaken him. The two may have just lost their best chance.

* * *

Gohan gasped as he looked at the drastically different environment he had found himself in. He was in a dark and dreary location with rivers of red that seemed to resemble blood. There were billions of energy signals he sensed located around the area and he could many converging to his location. This was far different from Earth. He was completely lost in a world he had never seen before, with unknowns surrounding him.

It was then that Gohan saw them: the Ginyu Force: Guldo, Jeice, Recoome and Burter. A searing pain ran through Gohan as he recalled Recoome kicking his neck back on Namek, the attack that shattered his spine; the memory chilled Gohan's entire body. However he realized the bigger issue. These four were dead and were regarded as Freeza's right hand men.

Gohan had reflected on his first attempt at teleportation. He had intended to go back to Earth. He remembered focusing his ki back to his home world. Then he had become distracted by the evil energy that arose from Hell. Then the realization hit him.

_I'm in Hell._

* * *

**Author's note**: _What'd you guys think of the chapter? I'm hoping I was able to convey the Androids cruelty well with the opening scene. I was having trouble trying to include them in the main story so I plan on having them as part of a growing sub-plot along with the Bojack one I introduced last chapter . Right now what I primarily want to focus on is Gohan's past and coming to terms with it. I think him being in Hell is the best way to do so now that he is forced to confront the villains from his childhood like the Ginyu Force, as well as someone else we'll be seeing next chapter._


	4. Chapter 3: Alone

**Chapter 3: Alone**

* * *

**Author's Note:** _First off, I apologize for how late this chapter was. My goal is to publish a new chapter weekly but I wasn't satisfied with both the length and writing of what I had last Sunday so I decided to scrap most of the chapter and rewrite it until I was satisfied. On a side note, as I'm writing this, Another Road now has had over 1,000 views! I don't know how significant a mile stone this is but needless to say I'm very pleased with it and the support I've seen so far. Thank you to everyone reading the series, reviewing, and/or following the series since it helps a lot and I appreciate all the feedback. On a side note, I'm planning on now responding to questions as a Q &amp; A at the end of every chapter because I've noticed some people ask the same questions and so to all those reading I think it would be helpful to have definitive answers rather than answering the question every time someone asks it. So without further ado, here is Chapter 3: Alone._

* * *

The Kais were panicking over Gohan's disappearance. Without him, their plans were useless. Only he could lift the Z-Sword and stop Babidi. Only he could finally rid the world of the coming threat.

Kibito had gone to Earth in an attempt to better sense Gohan since they already assumed he had returned home. He had already shown his interest in returning back in previous sessions. Though Gohan himself had not realized it from all the time he had spent both training and resting on their world, the Kais themselves knew how long he had been gone.

It had been over two weeks since they had discovered his half-dead body laying in his own blood. In those two weeks Gohan had already substantially raised his energy and had removed the Z-Sword, a seemingly impossible task. Now he was lost to them, possibly forever. Knowing he needed to immediately calm down, the Kai began to meditate on the situation.

* * *

Kibito flew for miles in search of Gohan with no results.

_Where are you?_ He thought to himself, confused as to what happened to the young hero. He had shown so much interest in going home and yet he chose to go elsewhere? He thought of all the other places he could've gone to.

Despite his ties to Namek, the planet was nowhere near its original location and Gohan would be unable to sense out Ki so distant from his location in Other World without already having been to the location itself, even if relying on the flow of energy. _Where else could he have gone?_

Kibito reflected on their visit to King Kai and thought back to his own teleportation. He remembered focusing on his home world and blocking out all other thoughts as he had disciplined himself to do.

_But to a novice..._

Kibito stopped flying as he slowly became aware of what had happened. Gohan must have teleported to Hell instead of his intended target. The son of Goku was in Hell, surrounded by thousands of his father's old enemies.

Kibito began to teleport back to his home world to inform his master of his hypothesis.

* * *

Gohan's eyes wandered around him, looking at each of the enemies. In front of him was Recoome, a large and bulky man with short red hair and the face of an idiot. When Gohan had gone to Namek, it was Recoome who had defeated Vegeta, Krillin and himself. It was his father who had defeated the enemy, and in one blow no less.

To the left of the Saiyan was Burter, an even larger blue lizard-looking speedster. He seemed tough to Gohan when the two met but they never actually fought, Goku had brought down the fighter within a few hits. On the right of Gohan was Burter's partner in battle and his aesthetic opposite, Jeice. This soldier had a pure red skin tone with long white hair and a small build. Gohan winced as he recalled the merciless death Vegeta gave Jeice by blasting him point-blank in the face.

Finally, Gohan saw behind him the least intimidating of the bunch: Guldo. He was a round and fat green alien with several eyes covering his face, making it seem impossible for him to wear a scouter and a soldier who relied on telekinesis. The more concerning ability was his time-stopping power caused by holding his breath. On Namek Guldo had almost killed both Gohan and Krillin with the technique until Vegeta intervened, decapitating him before blasting his head.

Gohan took a deep breath as he prepared himself for the duel. The four men began to circle about Gohan in an attempt to confuse the warrior, to no avail. Gohan stretched his hands outward and felt his ki extend out from his body as he shouted, releasing a force within a large radius.

The attack sent the four enemies flying in their respective directions, giving Gohan the advantage. He swiftly moved to appear behind Burter and strike his head with a spinning kick, causing the alien to be sent sideways just as Jeice and Guldo caught him.

_Now where's the other one?_

Suddenly, Recoome launched himself at Gohan from behind only to strike through an after image as it faded away. Before confusion could overtake Recoome, he was struck from behind with a chop to his neck, causing him to tumble downward. In his place stood Gohan with his right hand outstretched from the blow.

_I didn't think that would've felt so good,_ Gohan thought to himself.

The other three's faces displayed a mix of shock and terror. Burter and Jeice quickly snapped out of it though as they began their usual tag team tactics. Gohan watched their synchronized attack start and noticed how it was the same as it was on Namek. Unlike him, the Ginyu Force hadn't changed one bit since then.

Burter threw a kick to Gohan's abdomen which was easily side-stepped. He noticed how what had years ago seemed like incomprehensible speed now appeared like the movement of a snail to him. Gohan sensed Jeice raising his ki in order to form an energy ball to strike with while Burter distracted him, a plan that Gohan was already anticipating.

"Crusher Ball!" Jeice cried as he threw his attack towards the half-Saiyan. It was to met with failure however, as Gohan quickly grabbed Burter by his legs and began to throw him towards the blast, watching as his opponent's body took the full brunt of the other's attack. Both he and Jeice watched as Burter slowly descended, his body surrounded by smoke.

Jeice began to panic as he looked for a way out of his predicament. He turned to Guldo, still stunned from Recoome's defeat and called out to him. "Guldo you daft moron, attack!" Jeice yelled, himself terrified by their foe. Guldo did as he was told and began his counter-attack.

Holding his breath, the psychic charged forward now that he had frozen time. He moved close to Gohan, preparing to attack him from behind, and was consumed in a ball of flame that caused Guldo to gasp out.

Time continued as Guldo began to recover from the incident. Confused, he glared at Gohan only to discover the Saiyan had formed an energy field around himself in case Guldo attempted time freeze. Gohan began to realize what had happened and began laughing at the opponent, angering Guldo. Before he could retaliate however, he felt a strange pain in his gut and realize Gohan had swiftly moved to him and struck him with his fist straight in the gut.

Jeice watched as his last remaining ally soon met the same fate as the other two, crashing to the ground beneath them. Seeing the inevitability of his own defeat, Jeice flew away while calling out to someone.

"Help me your Majesty!"

Gohan began to follow Jeice and reflected on his outcries. _Am I going to have to fight Frieza too?_

Gohan then felt an enormous power approaching Jeice, who had just landed and was kneeling before the mysterious figure. Gohan met him on the ground, only to be stunned by the figure before him.

"Why, if it isn't Kakarot's brat?" The voice spoke out, chilling Gohan.

It wasn't Frieza like Gohan had expected. Instead, it was a short man covered in royal armor and with large spiky hair that stood up and curved inward onto a single point at the top. His eyes and hair were both colored black, similar to Gohan.

"Vegeta," Gohan muttered, still surprised by this new scenario. Gohan had known Vegeta as only an evil man but he had never thought about what that meant after his death.

"So what are you doing here? I'd assume the Androids killed you but I don't see a halo," Vegeta wondered, though his face told Gohan he wasn't all that interested.

"It's a long story," Gohan responded as he began to leave using Instant Transmission.

"What do you think you're doing?" Vegeta asked as he quickly grabbed Gohan's arm and punched his jaw with the other. Gohan slid backwards and he recovered from the sudden strike. "Vegeta, what are you-?" Gohan stopped as he realized.

_Vegeta's not like the rest of us. He's always been evil and now apparently Hell's ruler. He's not just going to let me leave._

"I've been waiting for something interesting. Do you know how boring it is being the strongest, with no one to provide a challenge? I make a ruckus every day in order to get that low-class fool's attention but I've never gotten a response. Let's see if beating you within an inch of your life will finally make Kakarot come down." Vegeta spoke, his voice seeming slightly deranged.

Gohan watched as the Saiyan Prince began to transform into a Super Saiyan, a sight that he had only seen once when Vegeta fought the Androids to the death. "Now, I know I look strong but do try to keep up," Vegeta taunted as he strolled towards Gohan. "Dammit," Gohan whispered as he mirrored Vegeta's performance and ascended to Super Saiyan.

"This is a surprise. I didn't think half-breed scum could reach this level," Vegeta jested, clearly excited by the chance to test his skill. Gohan responded to the Saiyan's words by kicking Vegeta in the face.

Vegeta planted his feet firmly into the ground and balanced himself upward just in time to dodge the punch Gohan threw to his chin and responding by placing his hands on the ground and pushing off them, kicking Gohan square in the chest with both feet.

Gohan back flipped away to distance himself from Vegeta, only to find himself struck once again, this time a head butt from the prideful prince, that sent him towards a nearby mountain.

Climbing out of the rubble, Gohan looked around for his opponent who seemingly disappeared. Suddenly he felt his face make impact with the ground as Vegeta hit him over the head from behind.

In retaliation, Gohan shot himself off the ground, kicking Vegeta in the chin and causing him to be flung into the air. Vegeta adjusted himself and fired off a blast of ki from his palm towards his enemy. Gohan smacked away the blast, deflecting it, and flew upwards towards Vegeta.

The two pulled back their left fists and threw their respective punches at each other, the two meeting in the middle and forming an impact that sent both of them spiraling backwards.

Gohan hit the ground and felt himself slide across the rocks beneath him from the force of their punches clashing. Before he could stand Vegeta crashed his leg straight into his stomach, causing him to cough out blood. Vegeta continued his assault as he sent out a flurry of punches at Gohan, beating him into the dirt as a crater formed from the effects of each hit.

Vegeta's gloves soon became stained with the young Saiyan's blood, signaling to him that the fight was over. Grabbing him by his hair, Vegeta threw Gohan upward before beginning to charge a ki blast. Gohan managed to adjust himself in time to dodge the blast, feeling his gi slightly burned by the blast.

Vegeta swiftly moved towards him in an attempt to catch the Saiyan off-guard, throwing a kick to his shoulder that Gohan blocked with his wrist. He grabbed Vegeta's leg with the other hand and pulled him close, ramming his knee into his nose. Putting his hands together, Gohan mashed his hands against Vegeta's head, sending him deep under the ground below them.

Gohan descended back onto the ground and began to catch his breath as he anticipated Vegeta's return. He approached the hole left by his opponent and began to charge a ki blast. He placed both of his hands on his forehead and soon a yellow orb of energy was emitted. He waited a few moments in order to strengthen his attack before finally stretching his hands straight down into the hole, releasing his ki as a long straight beam.

"MASENKO!" Gohan cried as he heard the blast make contact with something down below, causing smoke to rise out of the hole and shoot into the young warrior's face. After recovering from the surprise, he looked around to see shadows surround him. Slowly they appeared before him and their appearances became more clear to him. Their bodies were covered in armor and a furry belt was wrapped around each of their waists.

_Wait...that's not a belt, it's a tail! They're Saiyans!_

His heritage surrounded him and he felt their intense glares of battle lust as they prepared to all strike at him. Gohan steeled himself for their attacks as they fired a barrage of ki blasts at him.

He jumped away from the first round of blasts and flew to the side as the second round was sent at him, struggling to avoid the thousands of beams of energy that twisted and turned in different directions. Gohan returned to the ground as the beams once again attempted to converge on him, flying backwards before finally stopping on top of the hole he had left Vegeta in.

A blast of ki fired out from the hole, striking Gohan and preventing him from avoiding the Saiyans' next wave of attacks. The Saiyans heard a single cry echo out before it was engulfed by the sound of several thousand explosions. They watched as their leader, Vegeta, rose out of the hole and into the sky, adding onto his people's barrage with a blast of his own. The Saiyans flew closer while he approached the smoke cloud. As it evaporated, the smoke cloud revealed a silhouette hidden inside.

Gohan stood before them, his orange gi torn to shreds, with his golden aura faint. He looked around to see familiar faces surround him.

_Raditz...Nappa... When you were alive, I feared you. I watched as you fought and killed my friends. But back then I was small, now I can defeat both of you without a second thought. I can beat any of you._ He looked to Vegeta. _Even you. I'll beat all of you._

Vegeta pointed his finger to Gohan and spoke out to his people. "This, ladies and gentlemen, is the half-breed son of a low class clown!" Clearly the Saiyans were amused by his comment. Another laugh began to overwhelm all others, shocking the Saiyans as they saw Gohan chuckling loudly.

"You think you're all better than me? Why, because my mother is an earthling? Because my father was of a low-class line of Saiyans? Look at me! My father killed Frieza, the man you all feared and were slaughtered by! I became a Super Saiyan, the legend you all aspired to reach! How stupid can you all be? I might be a failure as a Saiyan but as a person..." he paused, glaring straight at Vegeta. "...I'm better than any of you will ever be."

Infuriated by his deep-cutting words, the Saiyan army charged at him, burying him. Vegeta smirked at the half-Saiyan's foolishness before being surprised as ripples of light shot out of the dog-pile. The thousands of bodies were thrown miles away as Gohan stood there, his aura now shining brighter than ever before.

The two Super Saiyans eyes locked and soon they had vanished into thin air. In their place was sparks and loud booms that traveled for miles across Hell. Gohan and Vegeta moved swiftly through the land, dishing out thousands of hits to the other for every second that their battle continued.

Time stood still as a punch landed, Vegeta's fist sliding across Gohan's cheek with enough force to cause a cut to appear in its place. A fragment of a second passed as the two found their roles reversed, Gohan's fist rising up against Vegeta's chin, leading him to drift in the air for a brief moment. The fighters swapped places over the course of their clash, each one landing a brutal after another on their enemy, only to find him doing the same. Their knees collided as they attempted to strike the other's abdomen, causing them both to be pushed away from the impact.

Gohan and Vegeta both quickly fired off a blast at each other, hoping to catch the other off guard, only to form a smoke cloud from the collision. The two began to circle around each other, waiting for the opportunity to strike.

Gohan disappeared from Vegeta's sight, emerging behind him and swinging his elbow at the Prince's neck. Vegeta quickly descended and twisted his legs around Gohan's wrist, flinging him forward and throwing a fist at his face. The other Saiyan used his knee to block the strike and shook his wrist out of Vegeta's grasp before spinning around to kick him in the neck. Vegeta raised his shoulder to soften the blow and reached out with his hand to grab Gohan's throat, who smacked away the attempt with his hand and continued to dodge the attacks Vegeta threw at him.

Just as Gohan seemed to find a pattern to the strikes, Vegeta stretched out his palm and fired off a blast straight at his face. Carried away by the beam, Gohan felt himself being burned as time continued before finally stopping once colliding with a mountain. He felt the rocks dig into his back and his eye sight began to fade out to blackness.

Vegeta drifted in the air slightly above the unconscious Saiyan before beginning to speak out to him. "I am impressed by your power, truly I am. To think that you of all people could match me in battle is really quite shocking. But this is where you lose!" He stretched out his arms and his hands were placed side by side as his yellow aura grew thicker and he harnessed his ki into his strongest attack.

The ground rumbled and the unconscious Saiyans awoke as a result. They all looked up to see their prince covered in an intense golden barrier and a giant orb of energy forming outside of his palm. Vegeta's energy level grew high enough to shock even the recently-passed-out Gohan back into consciousness. "What the-?" he asked, terrified by the great power Vegeta was exerting outwards.

"FINAL FLASH!" The Prince yelled out, his blast covering the surrounding area for miles and eclipsing Gohan's entire body. The blast began to suffocate him with its heat and pulling him down into the earth as his entire essence was burned alive.

_This is not how it ends!_

Suddenly Gohan felt his body seamlessly transition into a Super Saiyan and his ki form a protective barrier around him. It stood against the brute force of Vegeta's ultimate attack, the shield nearly cracking before its awesome might. Gohan's body ached from maintaining his energy field and he knew that he had begun to run solely on adrenalin.

After what seemed like an endless period of time, Vegeta's blast dissipated while Gohan's shield remained, barely intact. Vegeta squinted with his eyes, one of which had begun to close from his exhaustion, and jumped when seeing his enemy still alive. "H..how?" He groaned while his mind faded into nothingness and his body collapsed onto the ground beneath him before being caught by Gohan, who lowered him gently and powered down.

Looking around he saw the Saiyans approach him, beaten yet limping along. Warn out from his recent fight, Gohan could do nothing but fall back onto the ground and await his death.

Nappa appeared before him, pressing his boot onto Gohan's head and crushing his skull in. "Aah!" he yelled at a seething pain emanated from his head. "To think that the brat from all these years ago would come all the way to Hell to let me finally kill him!" Nappa boasted, enjoying the harm he was doing.

Gohan's vision began to fade just as he saw a mysterious figure knocked Nappa away with a kick and fired off a giant blast of ki that shot away all the Saiyans. The warrior leaned over to Gohan's face and spoke. "Are you alright?" he asked. Gohan tried to sound out a reply but his body quickly shut down into a state of rest.

* * *

The darkness that contained Zangya was cold and quiet, creating an emotionless prison for her. She slept on the ground, or what seemed to be since she could not see anything, and shuddered as time went on.

Her body quickly shot up as she sensed a ki far away rising exponentially. While weaker than those of her crew, it seemed both powerful and familiar to her. _It's him!_ She thought, reminding herself of the man who had single-handedly defeated her team. _He's still alive? That's perfect! I'll get my revenge soon enough! _Now motivated like never before, Zangya began to walk around the endless world, searching for an escape.

Back when she had first woken up in this world, she had tried to escape by firing ki blasts at the nothingness that engulfed her, only to see them return back at her, both overwhelming and demoralizing her. Since then she had accepted her fate out of fear for the consequences of a failed escape until now. Now she had finally found it, the motivation she needed in order to escape the prison she had been trapped in.

The prison had been constructed by a massive amount of ki, Zangya had initially learned this when she had tried sensing around for her teammates only to discover the intense power that acted as a barrier for her. She began sensing around again, looking for a weak spot in the ki flow. She turned in its direction and flew forward.

Finally arriving at the destination, she tested the spot by firing off a weak ki blast at it, only to see nothing come back at her, instead a small crack of light forming against the darkness that she struggled to see until getting closer.

_I see, so this is the blind spot._ She blasted again with all her might and the crack grew brighter. _Again!_ she yelled in her mind, firing off blast after blast until the crack was blinding her. Being deprived of any light for what seemed like forever, the chance to be under its glow again began to excite her even more and she started to exert even more energy into her attacks.

She screamed at the top of her lungs, firing off a blast with all the power she had and watched it shatter open the prison, her view being engulfed in a white light.

The world she was on now seemed lifeless yet covered by a bright sun. Once her eyes adjusted to the light she began looking over her hands, surprised by how much she had forgotten about her appearance over time. Her skin was the same bright blue as always and her ears just as pointed. She brushed her hair to see it still retaining a bright orange gleam as its extreme length allowed it stretch down to her feet. Her bright gold boots carried a thick black lining over them that continued up until reaching her baggy white pants, held up by a belt of similar color with a golden shine in its center while a large purple stash hung down from her waist onto her legs. A bright white vest covered that blue shirt underneath and long black wrist bands ran across her arms. She grabbed the bronze necklace that she wore and held it close. _I still have it!_, she thought, a calm feeling pushing away her concerns.

After checking herself over she turned to see the rest of her crew right beside her and seeming to be just as exhausted as she from breaking out of their prisons. All of them except their leader, Bojack, who stood tall and seemingly unfazed by what they had just went through. He wore the same boots and pants as Zangya but was covered in a bright blue jacket while his head was wrapped in a black bandana that covered his long and spiky bright orange hair.

He turned to them and spoke up, his voice deep and serious. "It seems we've escaped from whatever that prison was. I take it you all sensed what I did?" They nodded and Bojack continued. "That damned Saiyan is still kicking, we should fix that." He smirked and the rest of the squad laughed at his comment, save Zangya who smiled awkwardly. She glanced around the area, glad to see her friends again finally. To her far right was Bido, a hulking figure who wore the same pants and boats as the others, it was a trend among the group, but had a purple vest cover his chest and wore gloves of similar design to their boots. His hair was cut in the shape of a Mohawk and he had a goatee covering his face, both colored their races' signature bright orange color. To her left was Bujin, the shortest of their squad. Alongside their common wear, he wore a red jacket and had his head wrapped in a red turban. In between the two was Kogu, who wore a black long sleeve shirt over his chest and a purple ribbon that was wrapped around his head. To his left side was his signature sword that he carried with pride.

_This is my family._

Bojack then gave his first command in centuries. "Go and find us a space ship! We must find the Saiyan who shamed us!" The four obeyed and flew off in opposite directions.

* * *

The three androids had flown for hours without seeing a single human and Android 18 was getting irritated.

"Where are all the humans?" She complained. Android 17 chuckled at her frustration while Android 16 stared at her with a confused face.

"What do you mean? We've passed several," he explained to her. The other two androids looked back at him with looks of confusion. "Alright then big guy, how'd you figure that out?" Android 17 asked.

"I simply sensed their energy." He replied, shocking both since they were not given that ability. This new knowledge gave Android 18 an idea. "Hey #16, why don't you lead us to one of those humans?" She asked, hoping he would agree.

The new recruit nodded and began to descend at an angle, guiding the other two in the direction of a nearby human. They placed their feet on the ground and slowly followed the ki Android 16 sensed.

Android 16 gestured to the front of a hotel and told them that he felt a faint power from it. Android 18 smirked at the information and fired a blast at the top of it, causing the whole construct to be overcome with smoke and flames. Android 17 moved closer as he awaited the human's attempted escape.

However, Android 16 looked horrified at what they were doing. "What was the reason for that?" He asked as a young girl ran out of the burning building. Android 17 snatched her by the back of her dress before holding his hand in front of her and firing a ki blast that disintegrated her entire essence.

Android 16 balled his hands into a fist and glared at his brethren with rage-filled eyes. "Why did you do that?!" He yelled at them, shocking both with his outburst. Android 17 turned his head to the side trying to understand the meaning of the question before answering. "Oh, sorry man. I didn't realize you wanted the honors. Next one is all yours, I swear it. We good?" He offered his hand out to his new friend, who responded by crushing it in his own and punching him back into the decimated building.

"#17!" His sister called out, worried for her brother. Android 16 turned to her, a look of disgust covering his face. "You took her life. She was but a child. How could you?" Android 16 demanded that she explain herself. She could only stare back with a concerned expression as he moved closer to her.

"But they're humans! We're supposed to-" She started before he grabbed her face with his hand and shook her violently.

"They are living beings! What kind of monster does that?" He threw her against the ground and proceeded to punch her further into it, enraged by her and her brother's wickedness.

_The Trees...the birds...the towns...the cities...the people. They destroyed it all. Without prejudice they desecrated this world!_

His rage boiled over as he stomped his foot onto the female android's head, who cried out in pain. "Leave her alone!" Called out her brother, who charged Android 16 only to miss every throw. Android 16 countered by grabbing one of his legs and smashing his body into his sister beneath him.

The two laid in their small crater for a few moments, confused as to what was happening. Android 16 stood over them with eyes so fierce it made the Androids feel something they hadn't ever before: fear.

The hulking figure finally began to speak to them. "I love life and I will not watch it be destroyed. I value even the lives of people like you so I will spare you this one time. But know this, I am stronger than the both of you combined and if I see a life taken by either of you again, I will make sure I am the only Android left."

Finished with his warning, the Android flew away, leaving the other two stunned and humiliated.

"Dammit!" Android 18 cried out, smashing her fist against the ground in a fit of rage. "How could he DO that? We're supposed to be the strongest!"

Her brother stood up and sighed. "I didn't want it to come to this but I think we'll need back up."

Android 18 turned to him and processed what he said. "What are you talking about? Wait, their capsules say they aren't even functional! Gero never finished them!"

Android 17 folded his arms and ignored her remarks. "It's time to say 'howdy' to our brothers."

* * *

**Author's Note (Again):**_ Wow, a lot happened in this chapter. Between Gohan meeting Vegeta again and the side stories I introduced in the last two chapters being more developed, the story now has a lot going on. Plus, as you can tell by the end of this chapter, I'm introducing even more villains! One of the things I'm looking forward to with this particular series is working with the non-canon films that happened in the regular DBZ timeline such as Bojack Unbound and Super Android 13. I hope you liked the chapter and look forward to the next one!_


	5. Chapter 4: New Friends

**Chapter 4: New Friends**

* * *

Gohan heard a loud sound erupt from in front of him that was followed by several outcries of pain, jolting him awake. He looked around to see himself still in Hell but with a tall figure standing before him, fighting off Vegeta's army. This mysterious helper was tall and covered in green skin, draped in a white robe.

"Piccolo?" Gohan asked, expecting his old mentor to be the one protecting him, just as he had done when Gohan was a child. But the face turned to him and as he looked closer Gohan could see it was an entirely new person.

"I am not Piccolo but I am a friend," he quickly said before side stepping a punch thrown by Doore of Cooler's Armored Squad and retaliating with a quick strike to the soldier's chin with his knee.

Gohan looked closer at the man and saw the differences between the two. This figure had thick pink lips and pupils that were wrapped around by red rings within his eyes. He lacked a nose and had ears shaped like rectangles. He wore a large hat over his head and a long blue shirt underneath his robe. But what stood out most to Gohan was the belt around his waist. While primarily a simple brown color, its center was a bright golden hue that resembled a Champion's Belt.

_Is this guy a champion of something?_ Gohan thought to himself before standing up to fight alongside his ally. He watched as Salza lunged at the new fighter from behind, his arm covered in energy, before Gohan blocked the strike with the front of his palm until the energy subsided.

"Bozhe-moi! But that was my signature Salza Blade! How did you block it?" Salza asked, his voice terrified by Gohan's overwhelming might.

The Saiyan sighed and shook his head. "Really? Are you that surprised that I was able to stop it? I am a Super Saiyan after all."

The soldier shook himself free and fired a point-blank range ki blast straight at Gohan's face. He laughed as he saw smoke envelop the body and began to mock his enemy. "You fool! So much for Ze Legendary Super Saiyan!"

His victory taunt was quickly interrupted by the fist Gohan had planted on his face, sending Salza flying into a mountain before he could even realize his failure.

_Was it always this easy for Dad?_ Gohan wondered as he turned back towards the battlefield. He watched as the green warrior swiftly moved away from a strike thrown by Neiz and struck him in the chest with a thrust from his palm that caused the strange creature to squeal in pain before the impact of the attack sank in, forcing him to collapse onto the ground. "You're good," Gohan commented as he rejoined the man, who nodded appreciatively.

"As are you," he replied. A sudden blast fired at them caused them both to move in opposite directions, interrupting the conversation and splitting them up. Gohan watched as a familiar figure descended before him. He was short and his skin was almost entirely white, save for some purple jewel-like shapes that went out from his body at his shoulders, chest and the top of his head. His eyes were a clear red with black lines descending from them onto his chin. His ears were like cylinders and stretched outward from the sides of his head. Gohan watched as his dark purple lips twisted into a smile, reminding the young Saiyan of all the people he had seen die on Namek.

"Frieza." Gohan said, his voice cold from the disgust he had for the tyrant. Gohan had watched as he ordered the deaths of Namekians, and was forced to stand by as Frieza killed his own friends in front of him.

The villain laughed as he spoke. "I'm honored to know that my name is known throughout the Universe." He couldn't tell it was Gohan, he had been only a child when they originally fought and since then he had grown into a battled-scared warrior.

Gohan smirked at the comment as he entered into his battle pose. "You might not remember me but we fought years ago on Namek." The response confused Frieza but as he looked closer at Gohan's outfit he was reminded of the man who had killed him. He recalled Vegeta's desire to kill Goku, who was now dead but this person didn't have a halo. The gears in his head began to turn as he realized the identity of the warrior in front of him.

"You! You're that filthy monkey's offspring!" He shouted as he lunged at Gohan's neck, who dodged it and retaliated with a kick to his head that twisted Frieza backwards. He stopped himself from being sent farther and adjusted himself. Angered seethed from his eyes as he saw Gohan no longer but instead the face of the warrior who had killed him.

_I don't have time for this!_ Gohan thought as he charged forward, jumping over Frieza to catch him by surprise before pressing his hands onto the ground and throwing a kick at the back of the alien's head. Frieza once again spiraled backward before planting his feet firmly into the ground. He stretched a finger outward and began to fire off a range of ki blasts which Gohan slapped away.

"You're Death Beam isn't going to work on me Frieza. I'm much stronger than I was back on Namek. I can defeat you without becoming a Super Saiyan as you are now." Gohan's words cut deep as Frieza realized how accurate they were. He had fallen from a tyrant of the Universe to Vegeta's lackey within Hell. Rage boiled inside of him and he began to charge up his power, attempting to reach full power.

Gohan sensed Frieza's energy rise and prepared for it, transforming into a Super Saiyan and flying at the opponent while firing off a blast of ki to prevent him from getting any stronger. Frieza could only cry out his frustration as he felt the blast overcome him, carrying him miles away. Gohan recoiled his outstretched hand and looked around in search of his recent acquaintance. He looked to see him in a similar situation, the man battling the father of both Frieza and Cooler, King Cold, and easily dodging the punches thrown. He flew over to speak with the overthrown King.

"Dammit!" Cold yelled as the man twisted his hand behind his back and forced him to lay on the ground as he pressed his foot on his back. Gohan reached the two and seeing Cold in the helpless state used the opportunity to question him. He bent down to face him and spoke up. "Where's Cooler?" he asked. While he had seen the Cold empire's soldiers and both the leader and his favorite son, he had not seen a hint of Cooler being in Hell.

Cold stared back at him, confused before speaking up. "What do you mean? He's not dead!" Gohan stepped away as he tried to process what he was hearing.

_Cooler's alive? I thought Dad blasted him into the Sun. If he did survive, what has he been doing this whole time then?_

The man in green stared back at him and asked if he had any more questions to ask Cold. After Gohan told him he didn't, he knocked Cold out and spoke up again. "We need to go towards that tree containing fruit. Near the mountains surrounding it is the exit from Hell." Gohan turned to him and nodded. The man then looked back at him and spoke once more. "Sorry for not saying this earlier but my name is Pikkon." He extended his hand outward and Gohan shook it.

"It's a pleasure Pikkon, without you I would have been a dead man!" He laughed before realizing the awkwardness of the comment once seeing his new friend's halo. Pikkon shook his head and assured him he was not offended by the statement as the two began to fly away towards their escape from Hell.

* * *

Korin and Mr. Popo watched as Trunks continued his training on the lookout, pushing himself further and further as a Super Saiyan. Since Gohan's recent death he had transformed due to the trauma of finding his master's blood covered across the streets with his body completely gone.

"Poor kid," Korin muttered to his genie friend, who nodded while wearing a grim expression. After the initial ascension, Trunks had gone to the lookout in order to train with Goku's mentors, who had instructed him to adjust to the feeling of being a Super Saiyan.

He practiced moving around in the form and throwing basic attacks until the weight of the transformation began to lessen and felt more natural to him. Wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, he turned to the two instructors. "What do you guys think? How much stronger have I gotten?"

The two men turned to each other and Mr. Popo responded with a friendly but grim tone. "Trunks, we understand your desire to stop the Androids. But you won't become stronger than them in a few weeks. You need patience along with that motivation."

Trunks' eyes flared and his voice became more aggressive. "Patience?! Gohan is dead! How many years did he spend training to defeat the Androids? How much time was wasted trying to get stronger?" He knew that what he was saying was wrong. He knew how Gohan confided in both of them, how they looked at him as a friend. The two stood in front of Trunks, stunned by the outburst.

Mr. Popo was the first to react; he slowly approached Trunks and raised his arm gradually. A quick slap moved across the boy's face that sent him flying across the lookout. Trunks balanced himself up and walked back towards them. Once he was only a few feet away, he bowed in front of them and apologized.

"I'm sorry," he said, tears forming in his eyes as he begged for forgiveness. The two kneeled beside him and Korin patted him on the head, assuring him that his apology was accepted.

"It's okay," Korin spoke up. "We miss him too, Trunks." In response to Korin's comment, Trunks' crying echoed even louder as he felt his emotions boil over. He missed Gohan. He missed their training exercises. He missed his stories about the past. He missed his lectures on being a warrior. He missed his friend, his brother, his guide.

Trunks dried his eyes with a rub of his sleeve as he began to speak again. "Do you two know of any way for me to get stronger?" The two glanced at one another and Mr. Popo sighed as he answered him with the same tone he had used just before.

"There is one way: The Hyperbolic Time Chamber." Trunks reflected on the words before asking what it did and Mr. Popo began to explain. "Basically, one day in the real world is equivalent to one year in the chamber."

_One year? I could train in the chamber until I'm stronger than the androids!_

"Mr. Popo, please let me use the chamber!" Trunks pleaded. Mr. Popo shook his head as a reply before gesturing towards his forehead.

"I'm sorry Trunks but you aren't ready for that. If it was as simple as just going in and training, I would have had Gohan use it. But just like him, you're not ready for it." Trunks looked confused as he crossed his arms defiantly. "Without enough discipline, you will be consumed by the feeling of infinite reality that the room presents to those who enter."

Trunks stomped his foot and argued with the genie. "I'm disciplined enough! I've been mastering Super Saiyan and I trained with Gohan! What more do I need?"

Mr. Popo turned away from him and looked straight down from the lookout onto the clouds below them. "The fact that you're fighting me right now is proof you're not ready. Until then, I expect you to come here to train and avoid the androids." Trunks sighed and let his ki fade away as he surrendered to Mr. Popo's argument and flew back home to Capsule Corps in order to speak with his mother and rest.

"He's a good kid, just troubled," Korin said to Mr. Popo once the two were alone. Mr. Popo nodded to the comment before he then began to shake his head.

"Korin, we're all troubled now. I won't lie to you; I believed Gohan would win. I believed in the last words the Z-Fighters heard from Goku before he had passed." Mr. Popo responded.

Korin sighed. "Right, he told them just before Gohan arrived." The old cat recalled the exact words Piccolo had said to him. "'Gohan's strong. Stronger than I could ever be, but he'll need a guide. I need all of you to be that guide. Not right now, he'll need time. But once this all settles, I need you to be the ones to help him carry our torch.'"

"I really thought he could do it. But I think Goku was still right. If the Z-Fighters had been able to teach him in time, Gohan could've surpassed his father," Mr. Popo replied.

Looking up to the sky, Korin spoke again. "I guess we can only hope that Goku's last request is being fulfilled over in Other World."

"Indeed," Mr. Popo added. Korin composed himself as Mr. Popo walked back inside the lookout, leaving the old cat alone with his thoughts.

Korin reflected on the decade's worth of time the two had spent together.

* * *

_Years ago, when Gohan first began working with Korin and Mr. Popo on the Lookout_

Gohan's small body was covered in bruises as his ki flared from the gold gleam of a Super Saiyan back to nothing. He was panting heavily from the hours he had dedicated to adjusting to the transformation.

Korin and Mr. Popo approached the boy carrying water and food that the two had been preparing for him once he had finished. "Kid, I think that's enough for now," Korin said.

Gohan's hand waved him away as he forced himself up off the ground he was laying on and he continued the training. "No, I can keep going," he assured the two before coughing up blood. The pain didn't stop him however. "The world is counting on me, I can't let everyone down. I will defeat the androids!"

A sudden cry of anger erupted from him as he began to try again and lightning suddenly flashed with his ki before he had over-exerted himself and his unconscious body collapsed onto the cold tiles of the Lookout.

The two looked down at him and smiled. Korin rubbed his paw on the boy's head and smiled as they thought of his declaration. "You will kid, you will," Korin told Gohan, despite knowing his words fell on deaf ears.

* * *

_In Current Time_

Korin floated over the edge of the Lookout and looked down on the world below.

_I'm really going to miss that little squirt._ Korin thought to himself as he felt a lump in his throat.

Deep within the Lookout, the same feeling began to envelop the seemingly unshakable Mr. Popo.

* * *

_How could this have happened?_ Android 16 asked himself as he flew across the sky, looking around to see only destruction. His mind scanned through all the information he had been programmed with in order to find something to work with. _Nothing?_

He stopped flying and descended onto the ground below. _My data log stops at Age 767 but my scanners have updated up to Age 780. _He looked at the decaying plants by his feet and knelt down to touch them. "I will fix this," he promised them as he stood up from his position and thought of the girl his brethren had killed. "So young," he muttered as he felt the shame of his inability to prevent her death hit him.

A sudden boom through the sky shook him out of his thoughts and the pacifistic Android looked up to see a white line of ki move across the clouds above. His eyes focused in on the sight to see a young boy with a light purple hair color and a long sleeved shirt with a white center and blue covering the arms. The Android's eyes turned bright red as he began analyzing the power level.

_For a human, it's high..._Android 16 thought to himself. Rising up into the air, the Android began to follow the boy hoping that it could lead to some answers.

* * *

Trunks descended in front of the broken building that he called home and stared at it. It was in the shape of a half circle and had windows scattered about it that were mostly shattered. Along the building the words "Capsule Corp." were inscribed. He braced himself for his mother's lecture. After seeing the result of Gohan's final battle with Androids 17 and 18, Trunks had not had contact with his mother and instead chose to train.

He steeled himself for it and turned the door knob to see a lone woman with bright blue hair that was tied into a thick singular strand sitting alone at a table with her hands buried in her face and an immense sob echoing out from her. She looked up at him with a face worn by grief and age and bags hung underneath her eyes. In her younger days Trunks' mother, Bulma, was a friend and aid to the Z-Fighters but after the Androids initial attack she had simply focused on keeping her family alive.

"Trunks?" a voice sore from crying asked, his mother hesitant to feel hope again. He muttered a "yes" and nodded, causing Bulma to run at him and wrap her arms around his head, holding her child close. He felt her tears cover his face and her grip tighten as he began to speak. "I was so worried! I thought I had lost you, I couldn't handle it," she told him with a quivering voice. He reacted by hugging her too, assuring her he wasn't going anywhere. After what seemed like an infinite amount of time, the two separated and Bulma's tone became serious. "Trunks, what happened?"

The two sat down and Trunks began. "Mom, Gohan's dead..." his voice trailed off as he struggled to tell her. The wound still hurt as much as it did when he first entered Pepper Town to see the destruction. Bulma looked saddened by the news but not surprised. While she wanted to believe in Gohan's war with the twins, she knew deep down he wasn't strong enough. Regardless though, she knew her son believed in Gohan's crusade so she placed a hand on her shoulder to support him.

Over the course of an hour, Trunks finished explaining the past three weeks to her. Bulma expressed her disappointment in him not seeing her sooner but approved of Mr. Popo and Korin's idea to avoid the Androids and train instead. A sudden knock at the door alerted them and Trunks stepped in front of his mother before answering it. On the other side of the door stood a tall figure with a bright orange Mohawk covered in a green and black outfit.

Trunks' eyes focused in on the symbol marked on the man's chest, the same symbol that he saw when he thought of everything he hated: The Red Ribbon Army. Trunks' eyes lit up with rage and he transformed straight into a Super Saiyan before punching the Android directly in the chest, sending him out from the doorway and into the yard.

The Android adjusted himself upward but did not retaliate, causing the battle-ready Super Saiyan to be both confused and irritated. "Who are you?" He yelled out.

"I am designated as Android 16," he stated coldly. "However," he continued "I do not wish to fight. I was recently awoken by my brother and sister, Androids 17 and 18. I do not approve of their actions. Please, let me help." Android 16 extended his hand out as a sign of peace.

Trunks looked at the offering quickly before returning his gaze to the Android's eyes. "I'm not falling for that!" Trunks yelled as he began charging up an energy blast. A grim expression appeared on the Android's face as he held up his hand in a disapproving matter.

"Please, this is not what I want," the Android pleaded. A loud boom echoed across the area as Trunks fired his attack point-blank range at the newest Android. Trunks felt the energy be drained from his body as he used up all the reserves he had.

_Dammit, if only I wasn't tired from training!_ Trunks thought as he saw Android 16 emerge from the smoke. "Mom, run!" he yelled as he knew he wasn't strong enough to defeat the latest enemy. Bulma ran in front of her son as a means to protect him as the Android stood over both.

"Once again, I am not here to hurt you. If you don't believe me, take a look at my programming. I will shut myself offline in order for you to check," Android 16 stated. He had recalled from the information he had examined earlier that Bulma was a trust worthy friend of Goku's. The Android began to initiate his shut down sequence and the world around him became dimmer until nothing.

Bulma helped her son stand up before looking at the Android. "Trunks, bring him inside!" she ordered as he began to head down to her lab.

Trunks looked back at her with a confused expression. "But he's an Android Mom, he can't be trusted!"

Bulma laughed at the comment as she recalled how many of her friends had started off seeming like a threat. "One of these days Trunks I'm going to tell you what Gohan didn't say about Piccolo," she chuckled before entering the basement. Her son sighed before lifting up the heavy humanoid and entering the house himself.

* * *

"What were you thinking!" Kibito yelled out as he and the Supreme Kai were reunited with Gohan. The young Saiyan shuttered as Kibito's lecture deafened him. "Not only have you misused my teaching of a technique but you've lied to me and worst of all," Kibito turned to his master before continuing "you've worried the Supreme Kai!"

Gohan hung his head down both from shame and embarrassment. He felt like a child whose mother was upset with him for spilling milk. Although in his case, it was more like his mother was yelling at him for not finishing his physics studying. _Studying, if only that was all I had to worry about. _

"Are you even listening!" Gohan's thoughts were quickly drowned out by another wave of shouts from the angry Kai.

"That's enough," The Supreme Kai said as he swung his hand out in front of the Kai to symbolize silence. Kibito obediently stopped, causing Pikkon to smirk slightly at the submission. Supreme Kai sighed and turned his head towards Gohan. "I understand your defiance, I haven't told you anything. I plan to rectify this in hopes that we can work together." Supreme Kai offered Gohan a hand shake which the Saiyan accepted.

Gohan rubbed the back of his head before apologizing. "I'm sorry, it's just that I want to go back home and save my people so desperately. They're all I can think about."

Supreme Kai nodded and promised Gohan they'd meet soon. "But first," he began, "I need you to show me you can handle yourself."

"I understand, I'll do whatever you need," Gohan promised.

"Alright then, I want you to do some more training, but not just moving around with the Z-Sword." Gohan looked at the Kai with a confused expression. "Instead, I want you to practice fighting with it. And for that, I think you'll be pleased to see what I have in store." Gohan nodded to signal for the Supreme Kai to continue. "Kibito, I'd appreciate it if you returned us to the Sacred World of the Kais." His servant nodded and the two waited for Gohan to say goodbye to his new friend.

"I appreciate what you've done for me Pikkon. I would've been a goner if you hadn't shown up." Gohan stated.

Pikkon shook his head before speaking. "I enjoyed putting the planet trade organization in its place. Besides, it was nice seeing such a strong fighter. Maybe one day we could fight one-on-one."

"Why not right now?" Gohan asked. The tall warrior shook his head and laughed before telling Gohan that he was in another league despite Gohan being a Super Saiyan. "One day then," Gohan promised the fighter. The two shook hands before Gohan ran back to the Kais.

The three were instantly back on the Kai's home planet. Gohan approached his sword and with all of his might lifted the Sword up. "It's not as heavy as I remember," Gohan commented as he swung the Sword around his back before realizing he didn't have a scabbard. "That's embarrassing," he chuckled before he felt his sword suddenly covered in a holster that wrapped diagonally across his torso.

Gohan turned to see Kibito holding out his hands. "It's not too useful of a technique but it does have its moments," Kibito told him. The Supreme Kai walked up towards the two and whispered to Kibito. "I understand," the servant responded. "I'll bring them over shortly." From there, Kibito disappeared, leaving the two alone on the planet.

The two sat down on the grass and looked out across the region. "It's a nice sight," Gohan said. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" Gohan asked the man.

Supreme Kai turned to him before turning back to the previous sight, his eyes now seeming far away. "Five million years ago, there were several more Supreme Kais; I was serving as the Kai of the East rather than my current position as the sole Supreme Kai." Gohan was shocked to hear that there were multiple Supreme Kais.

"A wizard named Bibidi awoke the monster Majin Buu from his slumber and sent him after us. Both the West and North Supreme Kais were quickly annihilated during their individual fights with Buu while both the South Supreme Kai and the Grand Supreme Kai were absorbed during their confrontations." The Kai shivered as he recalled the incidents. Gohan placed his hand on the Supreme Kai's shoulder as support.

"Majin Buu was eventually sealed away and the wizard Bibidi passed on," the Supreme Kai stated. Gohan looked quizzically at him.

"Then what's the problem?" Gohan asked.

"Bibidi had a son, Babidi, who plans on continuing his father's mayhem. I needed a team that could guide me towards him and be able to stop Buu. Kibito provides us with fast travel but you, I suspect, have the power to stop Buu forever," the Kai declared as he elevated himself off the ground.

Gohan stood up alongside him and nodded in agreement. "Well then, shall we get started?" Gohan asked his friend.

"It looks like their ready too," Supreme Kai stated, causing Gohan to turn around to see his new sparring partners beside Kibito: It was the Z-Fighters.

Gohan ran up to them and looked around to see all of his friends back with him again. Tien, Yamcha and Piccolo still were taller than him but now that he'd grown Gohan stood as a giant to both Krillin and Chiaotzu.

"It's been a while," Piccolo said as he walked up to his former student. "Let's see if you're still in shape."

The Namekian's former student nodded and reached for his sword's handle, removing it from the scabbard and transitioning into a fighting pose just as the other five did.

"Just like old times," Gohan said as he charged at Piccolo.

* * *

_So yeah, the mysterious fighter was Pikkon! Also, Trunks has finally made his appearance and a ton of the chapter was focused on him, so to all those who kept asking me what was happening to him now that Gohan's body was missing, there you go. I'm not going to lie, the scene on the lookout is what kept this chapter so long to release because I wasn't really liking how I was writing him. He just seemed to whiny and I didn't want to undermine his character by doing that. I did however like how I was able to use Trunks to develop Gohan more by seeing how others react to his death. _

_Now that Android 16 has met up with the Briefs' family I think the story is going to split up into two stories: What Gohan is doing with the Kais and what Trunks is doing on Earth. Don't worry, I'll throw Bojack's group a bone once in a while but the current arc is mostly dealing with the Androids and Gohan coming into his role as a Z-Fighter. Once again, thank you for your support and I hope you look forward to the next chapter. Onto the newly introduced Q&amp;A!_

* * *

**Q&amp;A:**

**Q:** _Gohan must not be able to control his ascended Super Saiyan form yet or he would have easily crushed Vegeta in combat. At some points you indicate that fighters can't get stronger in hell. If that is true how is it that Vegeta was able to match Gohan in combat? Gohan should be leagues stronger than Vegeta._

**A:** _This is a pretty good question since it allows me to clarify a few things. I've referred to Gohan's "transformation" in Chapter 1 as a minor version of an Ascended Super Saiyan but I should probably explain what I mean. Basically he's in between Vegeta's strength before entering the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and after leaving it. Sorry for the confusion._

_As for people not getting stronger in Hell, I think you might have misunderstood what it was saying. If you're referring to Gohan saying the Ginyu Force hasn't changed then it's basically that they aren't training and DBZ makes it clear you can't get stronger by just sitting around *cough* Gohan *cough*. If you are thinking about what Vegeta said about not getting stronger, that's simply because no one in Hell comes close to his strength so he's unable to push himself farther by fighting and his training always leaves him vulnerable at the end so he can't risk it in Hell._

_As for why Vegeta was able to match Gohan, he is a more ruthless fighter so that alone can overwhelm Gohan. Plus, as he said earlier Gohan is not as strong as an ascended Super Saiyan...yet._

**Q: **_I've gotten several questions relating to Raditz and how he relates to Gohan so I'm just going to go on a little rant._

**A:**_ Raditz is not the mysterious warrior which kind of shocked me to hear from some people since I did show him in Chapter 3. As for if he will be redeemed, I don't really plan on dealing with the Saiyans I showed in Hell for a while after this chapter. I have ideas that will eventually come to a head with this group but for right now don't expect any of them to do much, the scenario was just meant to establish more of the future's Other World and develop Gohan further but trust me when I say that Vegeta will not be a throw away character. If you somehow haven't heard of it, I recommend reading Break Through The Limit, a fanfic on here where Raditz joins Goku in the beginning of DBZ. It is over 100 chapters and it helps me to see the creativity put into the story._

**Q:** _This is more of a critique but I got a lot of comments and messages regarding the Instant Transmission and Instantaneous Movement which I should just clarify now._

**A: **_Kibito knows both, it's really that simple. We know he can do Instantaneous Movement but I figured it's a more advanced form of Instant Transmission so Kibito should just start at the basics. Some people said it was too fast for Gohan to learn since it took Goku some time to master it but to be fair, Gohan is a quick learner so I don't think it's that improbable. Plus, I really wanted him to get stuck in Hell and it made sense to me that Gohan could make a mistake because he's not disciplined enough, as a wise Mr. Popo once said._

* * *

_Alright, I think I answered the most commonly asked questions throughout the chapters. And one more thing I should state about the two weeks it took to produce this chapter, I apologize. I hadn't intended to take two weeks to finish the chapter but I dedicated most of last week's time for this fanfic to actually planning out the story. I haven't finished everything but I've gotten far along and I do want this to be a series that goes on for a long time. Thanks for all the support and I hope you look forward to (hopefully) next week's chapter!_


	6. Chapter 5: Family

**Chapter 5: Family**

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**Author's Note: **_So as an apology for being so late on these past few chapters, I dedicated a lot of time this week to giving you guys chapter 5 as soon as possible. My goal from here is to finish chapter 6 and upload it around Sunday or Monday of next week and then continue my weekly updates from there. Thank you all for your patience. On a side note, the Prologue Chapter has received over a thousand views and given its shortness I plan to add a lot to it in order to give it more depth. When that happens, I'll leave a message at the start of the chapter most recently after it in order to let you guys re-read it. I might do the same for Chapter 1 too since that's another pretty short one. Anyways, enjoy Chapter 5: Family!_

* * *

"Spirit Ball!"

"Kienzan!"

"Dodon Ray!"

"Tri-Beam!"

"Special Beam Cannon!"

The Five Z-Fighters fired off their signature attacks straight at Gohan, who quickly jumped up in the air, avoiding the ki blasts colliding below. _They're improved a lot!_ Gohan thought to himself as the five warriors vanished from their positions. Yamcha appeared first, always the cocky martial artist, right in front of Gohan with a Kamehameha nearly charged and ready to fire.

"-HA!" Yamcha yelled out as Gohan crossed his arms over his chest to block the blast. He was sent backwards in the air, allowing Yamcha to continue his assault as he transitioned from his previous attack to his (other) signature move. The warrior began to form his fighting stance before lunging at the half-Saiyan, all the while howling "Wolf Fang Fist!"

Gohan was able to use his palms to push every strike away from him and towards the side but with every thrust he was losing more control over the match. As Yamcha threw his palms together for a finishing move Gohan teleported behind him, leaving an afterimage in his place. Realizing the trick, Yamcha turned around in time to see Gohan's boot collide with his head. The attack left the bandit king in a crater formed by the impact of the dirt and his back.

"That was good technique," Tien remarked as he and Chiaotzu appeared at Gohan's sides. "However," he continued, "Don't think that makes you able to take the rest of us." He followed through with his words as he quickly charged at Gohan, their hands locking in combat while they both pressed on the other one. Gohan began to gain the upper hand, pushing Tien farther away from his initial position before pulling him back in close and kneeing him in the stomach. The surprise blow left him stunned, which Gohan took advantage of by using his grasp on the fighter's hands to swing him around before eventually throwing him across the area.

"Alright, who's ne-" Gohan began before he felt his body lock up and paralysis creep in. He moved his eyes around to see Chiaotzu behind him, holding his hands out. _Oh right, he can do that. I always forget about that._ The pale psychic rotated around Gohan, taunting him about his predicament. _But it must require concentration, so I'll just-_

Just then, Krillin emerged in the air and punched Gohan straight in the gut, causing him to gasp out for air. The former monk smirked at the reaction before continuing the attack with a flurry of punches that left his target even more vulnerable. "Krillin, do it now!" Chiaotzu yelled out to his partner.

"Oh right, sorry there. I guess I got carried away after having a chance to get a few good hits in against a Super Saiyan," Krillin chuckled before swiftly preparing his attack. "Kame-"

"Hame-" The all-too-familiar words alerted Gohan, who had used Krillin's charge to try breaking out of his restraints. He exerted his ki around the bonds Chiaotzu's paralyzing technique had made, both releasing him and pushing the perpetrator away. Gohan quickly moved behind Chiaotzu and fired off a "ki cannon," essentially a blast of air formed from ki that was fired from the Saiyan's palm. The attack caught both the target and Krillin by surprise, who had, in the short time Gohan had used to go on the offensive, fired off his attack. The blast snatched Chiaotzu out of the air and carried him away towards the ground, leaving him stunned by the trick attack. Refusing to be discouraged, Krillin lunged at Gohan, bombarding him with both punches and kicks to which the Saiyan was forced to block rather than fight back as a result of the overwhelming number. Eventually, Krillin caught Gohan off guard with a kick straight up in the air that caused Gohan's arms to be sent away from his chest and carried upward, allowing for him to head butt him.

"Ouch!" Gohan yelled as he held his injured head. "Alright, that's it!" Gohan declared as he reached for the Z-Sword strapped to his back and began to throw slashes that cut the air around them as Krillin barely dodged the strikes.

"Wait a minute, are you trying to kill me?!" Krillin asked timidly.

_No,_ Gohan thought to himself, _Just mess with you for a bit._ He quickly tilted the sword away from its sharp tip towards a flat side and smacked Krillin's head with it, causing him to be crash into the Sacred World and form a crater matching Yamcha's.

The two Kais stood on a hill and watched the training unfold. "This is disgraceful," Kibito muttered to his master. "He's disrespecting our sacred plain with this battle! And furthermore, he has barely even used the legendary Z-Sword!" Kibito pouted.

Supreme Kai turned to him and chuckled. "Now, now, Kibito. We've seen him fight back on Earth. Gohan's style was always more hand-to-hand combat, you can't be angry with him for that. I approve of whatever way he sees fit to use our ancestor' legacy," he calmly stated.

Kibito sighed. "Master, have you at least put any thought into what will happen after he eliminates these 'Androids?'" The head Kai's expression turned from its previously light-hearted appearance towards something grave.

"It's true, despite his promise to help me I wonder if someone can simply abandon their own world in order to help another," the Supreme Kai admitted.

"My thoughts entirely. We need to deal with the threat of Babidi above all else," Kibito assured his master.

The Supreme Kai shook his head, surprising Kibito. "No, I'm afraid, perhaps that way of thinking is wrong." He looked at Gohan, who had now become engaged in another fight with Tien. "Maybe I failed in my duty. I was too passive to everything."

Kibito looked stunned. "Passive, master? You've done your duty fine! You've done nothing but search for a way to help all of the universe by stopping the resurrection of Majin Buu!"

"But I never did find him nor did I ever even come close to doing so. As a result, I've only ignored the rest of the universe's problems. I think it's time we change that."

Gohan and Tien's elbows clashed in the air, the impact causing the water beneath them to ripple. The two pushed away from each other to recover before Tien began to fire off a barrage of ki blasts that forced Gohan down into the water beneath them. Gohan slowly rose out of the water after the three-eyed fighter ceased firing. "You've improved a lot in these years. I'd say you could give Frieza a pretty decent fight," Gohan complimented.

Tien nodded and responded. "Improvement? Look who's talking, you've outdone us all! In a few years you'd even be able to take down your father." The comment both pleased Gohan and shocked him.

_Dad, why aren't you here?_ Gohan wondered. "Tien, where is my Dad?" he asked. Tien looked around awkwardly before scratching the back of his head to express his discomfort.

"How do I say this?" he began, "He was kind of busy training with some other guys so we couldn't get him," Tien admitted.

Gohan looked at his reflection from the water. "I see," he muttered. He hadn't seen his father in years and it seemed like he had missed his only chance until he died.

"Hey c'mon, let's get back to the fight," Tien recommended. The comment snapped Gohan away from his thoughts and back into reality. The two once again threw the same attack at each other, resulting in even greater ripples below. Gohan moved quickly from there, sending his free hand at Tien's cheek. Tien saw the strike soon enough to block it with his other palm and retaliate with a spinning kick to the side of Gohan's ribs. The blow left him drifting slowly through the sky as he held his pained side. "Don't let the pain distract you," Tien advised while forming a ball of light in his outstretched right index finger.

Gohan recovered in time to look up and see the ki begin to form. "Wait...isn't that a-" he began before being cut off by Tien's cry.

"Dodon Ray!" He yelled.

_Yep, that's bad!_ Gohan's mind screamed before flying down into the water to avoid the blast. The shaking of the water above told him of the severe impact the beam made.

Tien starred below at the ground, waiting for his opponent to rise out. "Get out here already," he muttered to himself. His patience left him as he placed his hands in the form of a triangle fired off his famous "Tri-Beam" attack. The blast further destroyed the water the two had been fighting around by colliding with the water bed and shooting out all the water contained. In place of the pond Gohan hid in was a crater, somehow formed in the shape of a square.

Standing over the hill, Kibito's eyes twitched with annoyance at the damaged landscape.

Despite using his keen sight, Gohan still remained shrouded from Tien's view. "Stop hiding," he muttered as he fired off another Tri-Beam to the left of his first one. _Still nothing?_ Tien was becoming more and more irritated with each failed attack. He fired another after another in hopes of Gohan revealing himself. _Why can't I find you?_

Tien's question was promptly answered with a blow to his head from the bottom of the Z-Sword's hilt. The warrior crashed into one of his crater's, softening the impact with his hands and knees hitting the ground first. He looked up to see Gohan, armed with his Z-Sword, floating in the air with his gi torn to shreds. Gohan reached for the orange top he wore and ripped it off his chest, exposing the blue short-sleeved shirt underneath. "I've got to admit," he began, "that was an impressive attack. However..."

He paused for full effect before appearing in front of the wounded Tien and extending his right arm straight out while releasing a quickly charged ki blast that knocked him out cold. With four of the Z-Fighters down, Gohan was nearly done his training session. He quickly rose out of the crater, sheathing his sword and pressing his boots back on the grassy plains. "You can come out now," he said to his hidden mentor. "I know you wanted to do this fight one on one." Silence answered his call. _Really, nothing?_ The Saiyan sighed in disappointment.

"Explosive Demon Wave!" Piccolo cried out as he unexpectedly emerged in front of his pupil, his arms fully stretched out and his palms parallel to his blast's target: Gohan's face. From the point-blank range attack came a giant cloud of smoke that buried the two fighters underneath it.

"What's happening?" Kibito asked in a worried tone. The Supreme Kai simply smirked, amused by his servant's reaction, before gesturing to the other man to watch the outcome patiently.

Once fully gone, the smoke revealed both fighters flinging punches and kicks straight at the other, each being overwhelmed by one blow only to press forward and throw a strike of their one. Piccolo threw a kick at Gohan's neck, prompting the other fighter to twist his body so his hands could push off the ground in order for him to knee the Namekian in the throat. The blow only slightly phased Piccolo however, who extended his right arm out and grabbed onto Gohan's ankle, thrusting himself forward with the make-shift anchor and elbowing his student in the cheek. Gohan quickly recovered and punched his training partner in the gut in response. After a short while the two began to forget their pains, instead too distracted by their drive to overcome the other before finally they separated a few meters.

"Hard to believe you're the same kid who struggled against Nappa," Piccolo slowly remarked as he caught his breath.

"I don't seem to recall that fight being any easier on you," Gohan teased. "But you're right, I have learned a lot since then," he began. "Including..." Gohan became silent as he stretched his right arm out and grabbed its wrist with his left hand. Slowly a decently sized orb of energy formed in his palm. "Spirit Ball!" The Saiyan yelled out as he threw the attack at Piccolo.

"What on Earth?" Piccolo shouted as he barely dodged the unexpected technique. _That's Yamcha's attack!_ Piccolo began to calm down knowing he had avoided the blast. "Is that all?" he asked.

"That's not all," Gohan muttered as he shifted his two right fingers in multiple directions, confusing Piccolo. The Namekian heard a strange sound that caused him to turn around just in time to see the Spirit Ball come back around and strike him head on, toppling him over. Piccolo placed his hands onto the ground and pressed off them, hitting Gohan with his left foot.

"You may have learned Yamcha's technique but that won't be enough for you to win this fight," Piccolo remarked as Gohan stepped back to balance himself from the previous attack. Wiping away the dirt on his cheek from the sole of Piccolo's foot, Gohan adjusted himself for his next surprise.

"This is another fun one I've learned," he began. Gohan's ki started rising as he held up his right hand again, this time his arm stretching up to the sky rather than out from his body. A thin disc emerged suddenly from his palm, spinning rapidly and bladed with the man's ki.

Piccolo quickly prepared himself for the attack. It was after all, not only an impressive one but one Krillin had been able to damage enemies with unexpectedly. "Kienzan!" Gohan cried out as he flung the bladed circle towards Piccolo, who planted his arms firmly in the ground and extended them far outward to carry himself far away off the ground.

To his surprise, Gohan raised his hands up towards the sky, causing the disc to rise up also and Piccolo to lose distance between him and the attack. As it grew within cutting distance, Piccolo fired off a ki blast to cause it to implode, the collision resulting in a shockwave that sent him flying away. His opponent used the stunned state to his advantage as he kicked his leg straight down against Piccolo's head.

Piccolo righted himself upward as his student landed on the ground beside him. "I'd like to think that neither of being knocked out makes this an even match but I think there's a better way to decide this," Piccolo stated. Gohan scratched his head and asked what he meant. "It's simple, let's see whose attack is stronger." The Namekian then placed his first two right fingers against his forehead and formed a ball of energy that was covered in sparks of electricity.

"Alright, seems fair," Gohan muttered as he mimicked his friend's pose and began to charge his own version of the attack.

_Just a little more..._Piccolo thought.

"Special-" Piccolo began.

"Beam-" Gohan added.

"Cannon!" The two screamed in unison. Their ki produced two distinct spirals of charge that met in the middle of the two fighters, each one unwilling to let the other one win as they twisted over each other and instead of destroying one another met their respective targets. Both quickly threw up their arms in a defensive stance mere moments before the beams hit. Among the loud sounds made from the ki hitting flesh, pained grunts echoed about.

The two stood with their wrists visibly burned by the attack and their feet dragged a considerable distance from their original point. "That was impressive," Piccolo complimented before Gohan's Special Beam Cannon's weight took full effect and the Namekian's body collapsed face first into the grass. Gohan walked up to his mentor and helped him into a sitting position.

"I did learn from the best after all," Gohan stated. He removed the scabbard from his back and placed to his side before sitting down next to his friend. "I can't believe we've been doing this training for over a week, you guys are really strong."

"The first few times you were barely able to balance fighting just Tien and I," Yamcha said as he and the rest of the Z-Fighters descended onto the ground to join the two.

Tien smacked the back of Yamcha's head, cutting him off. "More like just me. He took you out with a quick chop to the back of the neck," Tien reminded him.

Yamcha rubbed his head. "Hey, I got back up at least, give me some credit," he argued.

Krillin laughed as he spoke up. "Yamcha, this is about training Gohan, don't make it another competition between you and Tien," he added.

"Please, there's no competition," Tien teased.

Yamcha moved into a striking pose. "Oh yeah, let's see who's stronger right now!" Tien fell for the challenge and began to prepare himself for battle.

"It's simple, Gohan is stronger," Piccolo said to Yamcha. "While we've been off training here, he's reached levels unheard of before."

Gohan feigned indifference but was secretly pleased to hear Piccolo's words.

The two Kais moved over to the fighters and Kibito began to give his daily lecture on respect for the planet before Supreme Kai interrupted. "Gohan, a moment alone please." Gohan nodded and began to walk with the Supreme Kai and Kibito far away. Despite their attempt at privacy, he knew that Piccolo would eavesdrop on the conversation but chose not to say anything.

"Simply put," the head Kai began, "I think you've been right about your ideas. You do need to get home and save your planet and I, as Supreme Kai, need to help your world survive. I've been far too distracted in searching for Babidi as a Supreme Kai then as a person. I have an obligation to search for him myself, across the universe if necessary." These words never saw him as a proactive figure but rather someone who sat around waiting for things to happen. "You've been here for a while," Supreme Kai told him. "In fact, nearly a month has been spent here."

"A month?" Gohan asked, both surprised he had lost track of his time away from Earth and shocked at the damage he expected to have happened since. "Supreme Kai, do you think I'm ready to go home now? I've worked with the Z-Sword, trained with my friends and my transformation has-" he paused as he saw his question answered with a smile from his new friend.

"Gohan, I do think you're ready now. However, there is one last thing to be done." Supreme Kai stated. Gohan starred at him quizzically. What else was needed? "I've spoken with your friends this past week during your resting periods and I've learned of your reliance on Dragon Balls. Now that Piccolo is dead, they cannot work on your planet, can they?" Gohan shook his head in response. "However, there is a way to repair some of the damage, with Namek's Dragon Balls." Gohan smiled excitedly as he realized what was happening.

"Are you taking me to Namek?" Gohan asked. The Supreme Kai nodded but his expression became more serious.

"It won't be so simple Gohan, a lot has happened since you were last there. They currently have been enslaved by a mad tyrant."

_Tyrant...tyrant..._Gohan always associated the word with the likes of Frieza, his father King Cold and Frieza's brother Cooler. _Cooler...isn't dead!_ Gohan realized.

He grabbed the Supreme Kai roughly and began to shake him. "What did Cooler do?" he asked in a panicked tone.

Kibito pushed him away from his master and signaled for the Supreme Kai to continue. "Thank you Kibito. Despite your father's attempts at killing him, Cooler was saved by the 'Big Gete Star'." Gohan looked at the two with a confused expression, showing that its name was foreign to him. "The Big Gete Star revived Cooler as a more robotic entity that quickly took over Namek. If you want to save the Namekians, and by extension your own planet, I need you to help us eliminate Cooler." The Supreme Kai explained. He then began to bow in front of Gohan, shocking both the Saiyan and Kibito. "Please, I ask you to help me right my wrong in ignoring the Cold Family!" he begged.

Gohan patted his shoulder, causing the young Kai to look up. "Hey c'mon, there's no need for that," he told him. "Let's fix this together," he said in a friendly tone while offering his friend a hand shake. "You know, we have a habit of doing this," he commented on the gesture as the Supreme Kai offered his own hand. The two began laughing at the fact, leaving Kibito standing there awkwardly silent.

"You cannot fight like this," Kibito asserted to end the laughter as he used his magic to repair Gohan's outfit. "Now let us do something about your energy," he added as his hands repaired the Saiyan to full health. Gohan moved around to examine his improved state before nodding and thanking his bulky friend. "Are you ready," Kibito asked him.

Gohan looked over to the Z-Fighters. "They have to go back after this, don't they?" Gohan asked in a disappointed tone.

The Supreme Kai nodded. "I was only able to convince King Yemma to let me bring them due to the circumstances of your training but after this, I doubt he would let them stay here."

"I see," Gohan mumbled. He flew over to his friends and began to say goodbye. Suddenly, he felt his voice lock up as he failed to express his feelings to them. Instead, his body quivered and he began to cry silently. Embarrassed, he tried to simply wipe them away by a rub of his wrist against his eyes but regardless the tears kept coming. His sobs were interrupted by a hand being placed on his shoulder. Gohan looked up to see a surprising face: his Dad, Goku.

His two right fingers were placed on his forehead, revealing to Gohan that his father had used Instant Transmission. "Sorry it took me so long son, I was busy training," Goku guiltily admitted. "Wow, you've gotten so much bigger," his father commented as he examined his son's new height, strength and mature face. "I like the hair Gohan, it's very...you?" Goku added as he rubbed his son's head.

"Dad?" Gohan asked in a quivering voice.

"Of course, who else silly?" his father joked. "I haven't been there for so long, and I'm sorry for that." Goku apologized.

Gohan shook his head. "It's...it's alright Dad, it's not your fault." Gohan felt ashamed for any time in the past decade he ever was angry with his Dad. Here he was, right in front of him, displaying the same affection he always had. "It's just that I," he began before sobbing. "I tried so hard!" He yelled as he hugged his father close. "I tried to be strong every day, like you would. But every day, people died Dad. I always failed." His sobs were now even louder as he confessed the shame he had lived with for years, of being unable to stop the Androids. Goku held his son close, wrapping his arms around his back to comfort him.

"It's okay Gohan, it's okay. I saw everything and I'm so proud of you. You never gave up son, despite the odds. Lives were saved because you tried to hold them off. You're a hero Gohan," he assured his son. The compliment, while helpful, only caused Gohan to cry more, this time out of happiness. "I always knew you'd do great things son and now's the time to prove it." He broke them out of the hug and placed his hand back on Gohan's shoulder. "I know this meeting has been cut short but you probably won't see me for awhile, until it's your time to come here." Gohan frowned at the sentence. He knew that to be true but he had wanted this interaction for years, he wasn't ready to see it end. "Give those Androids what's coming son, and show them Earth's strength!"

Now more confident, Gohan responded with the same energy his father displayed. "Yes Sir!" He looked around to see the Z-Fighters all standing together in front of him, smiling to show their confidence in his abilities.

"We've already had our time son," Goku began. "Now it's your turn to be a hero."

"Right!" Gohan yelled as he grabbed his sword and flew back to the Kais. Before the three teleported away, Gohan gave his friends a thumbs up, to which they responded in kind.

Sometime after the three had left, the Z-Fighters began to speak again. "What kept you so late?" Piccolo asked Goku.

Goku laughed and scratched the back of his head, a habit his son developed from watching him. "Sorry but Pikkon was going to show me this crazy technique called Fu-"Goku began before being cut off.

"Really Goku? You could've missed your only chance to see Gohan before he comes to Otherworld as a permanent resident, all because you wanted to learn a new attack?" Tien asked critically.

"Well, it's not exactly an attack," Goku began.

The rest of the Z-Fighters groaned as they placed their hands on Goku for his Instant Transmission. In a moment, they were gone and the Sacred World of the Kais was quiet once more.

* * *

"This is a bad idea," Trunks told his mother. They had just finished analyzing Android 16's programming and fixing any concerning functions. The biggest issue they had found was the self-destruct sequence that Dr. Gero had planted in his creation. When Trunks initially learned of it, he had almost activated it out of hatred for the Androids until Bulma talked him down. Since then she had carefully monitored her son in order to avoid a similar incident.

"No, it's not. You saw the same things that I did. He's programmed to be peaceful and without the 'Anti-Goku' programming, he should be fine." Bulma said. She continued typing on her computer before finally smashing the "Enter" key with her index finger. This input lead to the wires attached to Android 16's "brain" to begin awakening him. The hulking figure slowly rose up from his position resting on the table and turned to look around the room. Out of paranoia, Trunks stepped closer to his mother and prepared for a surprise attack.

"I see you were able to trust me. Thank you," the Android began before Trunks interrupted him.

"You're not welcome." Trunks said with a voice filled with aggression. It was through these machines that Gohan had been killed and that was all the boy could think of. How could his mother so readily accept his offer? Bulma placed her hand on Trunks' shoulder and ignored her son's comment, instead asking if the Android would like some coffee. Android 16 shook his head but expressed his appreciation for the offer. The two began to ascend the staircase, leaving Trunks alone with his thoughts. _He's supposed to be my enemy, Mom._

Upstairs the Android sat down at the kitchen table upon Bulma's request and she began to brew herself some coffee. "Your child does not seem to like me," Android 16 stated.

Bulma sighed at the comment and turned to him. "You have to understand, he's grown up in this world full of destruction thanks to Androids 17 and 18. Hatred for your kind is all he's known."

"But you do not feel the same?" The Android asked.

"I've seen a lot of things in my lifetime," Bulma stated. "I don't believe everyone is necessarily evil. In fact, many of my friends were once enemies. It's not as simple as good or evil, it never is," she remarked before turning silent once more.

Trunks exited the basement and walked straight up to the sitting Android. "Are you going to help me destroy those Androids?" he asked. Trunks was struggling with a mixture of emotion from fear for his mother's safety to rage at the Android's destruction. It was all he could do now not to fly away to find his friend's killers and try to eliminate them.

"You are not strong enough to face them." Android 16 informed the boy.

"What do you know?" Trunks yelled at the machine.

"I know that you fighting the Androids would only lead to more sadness." Android 16 replied. "You are strong for a human but compared to the-"

"Shut up," Trunks muttered while exiting the house and walking out towards the lawn. _What does he know?_ he thought to himself as he flew away to the Lookout. _I'll get stronger in just a day! _After some time flying, Trunks' feet touched the Lookout's tiles and he quickly moved into the tower, concealing his ki all the while. He moved from door to door, searching for the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Eventually, he found the hidden room, the inside of it an ever expanding area of white. He walked inside and starred at the scenery around him. The section of the "room" he was at contained a bed and some food within a nearby fridge. To the sides of the area were giant hour glasses with what seemed like an infinite amount of sand pouring out.

"Wow..." Trunks mumbled. He shook himself back into focus and transformed into a Super Saiyan. "Alright, I guess it's time to start my year long training!" Trunks said with excitement. Right away he started throwing kicks in the air and punches to the side as a warm up routine. "One, two, one two," he said in-between breaths as he alternated between a quick jab of his left fist and a powerful thrust from his right. He felt himself slowly but surely increase his strength with every passing minute. _You call this not disciplined enough?_ Trunks thought.

A few hours later he found himself resting on the floor and panting heavily, fatigued by the exercise. "You're tired after just that?" a voice asked him. Trunks looked around to see a figure standing somewhat far away from him. The boy looked both stunned and confused at the figure. He had seen it before in photos his mother had kept hidden from him: it was his father, Vegeta. The figure turned away from him and started walking into nothingness.

"Wait!" Trunks yelled as he stood up and ran after his father. Despite knowing nothing of the man, despite knowing he was dead, despite knowing the dangers of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Trunks kept running towards the ever farther figure until it had nearly disappeared from his view. "Father!" He screeched as his emotions boiled over._ Why are you here? Why are you ignoring me?_ The young Saiyan couldn't take it anymore. The feelings overwhelmed him and he began screaming out into the void that the room had become. His Super Saiyan ki flared out of him and continued in greater magnitude over time. The burst of ki left him as his body shut down into a weakened state and he saw that the figure of his father was no longer visible. He turned to go back only to see...nothing. The exit was nowhere in sight. "No...no...no..." he whimpered as the reality of it all set in for Trunks. Mr. Popo and Korin were right, he wasn't ready for the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. His ego had lead him to a permanent prison that would keep him separated from his mother forever. The Androids could've killed her and he wouldn't know. Android 16 might've already done so. The thought left him broken and lying on the floor in an emotional frenzy. Trunks had just failed.

* * *

**Author's Note:**_ Wow, Trunks really screwed up, huh? Now he's trapped in the HTC forever...maybe. Sorry if this chapter didn't seem to have much to it, I tried to make the sparring match seem not too short but actually made it fairly long. Still, I enjoyed writing it, although Tien got a lot of the screen time surprisingly. I didn't even intend for that to be the case but I guess I've always liked Tien's character, ever since he attacked Semi-Perfect Cell. Moving on, what did you guys think of Gohan and Trunks' scenes with their respective fathers. Gohan's I hope was emotional and not awkward since it was probably the most important scene in the entire fanfic at this point. And just to clarify since there was confusion when Gohan reached his Super Saiyan transformation in chapter 1, I'll just say it now: No, Trunks is not an Ascended Super Saiyan. Just like Gohan, he just pushed himself farther because of his emotions which caused him to reach greater heights as a Super Saiyan and therefore an increased strength. _

_On a side note, there have been no reviews for Chapter 4 at the time I'm writing this so I won't have a Q&amp;A section for this chapter._


	7. Chapter 6: Freeing Namek

**Chapter 6: Freeing Namek**

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_Wow, this chapter was tough to write, mostly because I only had two days to do so. Hopefully it came out fine all the same. Enjoy!_

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_This is Namek?_ Gohan asked himself when the three teleported onto the planet. He looked around to see the once bright blue and vibrant grass of the plains instead rotted and withering, its color diluted. A glance farther outward showed the same state for the green water of the ocean surrounding the platform, the clear color from years prior now distorted into a murky swamp-like color. Anger surged from within him as he clenched his fists, the sight of Cooler's actions disgusting him. Farther away he could see the threat he'd been sent to face: The Big Gete Star. A giant metallic dome seemed to rise out of the ground and sent out tentacles across the area to link onto the planet's surface. "Is that where Cooler is?" he asked Supreme Kai, who nodded and began to speak up.

"Indeed, he has fused with and become a part of the machinery. I fear he is a much greater threat than when your father encountered him," Supreme Kai warned.

"What exactly is the Big Gete Star?" Gohan wondered out loud.

Kibito decided to answer Gohan's question this time. "It was a fairly short time ago, relative to us Kais, when it was developed. A scientist who had survived the destruction of his race created this machine in order to destroy the planet of the people who had caused the tragedy. However he was too late with his plans, as the world he had targeted had already been destroyed. As a result, it was left to drift through space until discovering Cooler, who was able to give it a purpose once being selected as its host."

"I...see," Gohan muttered slowly. Hearing the story had given the Saiyan a few ideas as to what the Big Gete Star's real history was.

* * *

A monitor lit up for the first time in several years.

_New energy levels detected...scanning...scanning..._

"How many are there?" A voice asked out of the darkness.

_Three detected...searching for further details..._

"Hmmm...we've never had visitors, have we?" The shadow asked. A frail grunt answered him.

"Oh, good to see you're still kicking. Now let's see who it is that's stopping by," it continued.

_Sending probe to examine...sending probe to examine...sending probe to examine..._

"Yes, yes, yes. I heard you the first time," the voice chuckled. "It's amazing how talkative a machine can be, isn't it?" More weakened moaning accompanied the question. "Oh, it looks like we're getting something from the probe."

_Data transmitting...Video Footage playing..._

"That outfit...that face...you're finally here. I've waited a long time for this. Computer, send out the drones!" The voice ordered.

_Command processing...Drones sent..._

Suddenly lights revealed themselves and lit up the room, exposing the weakened Moori, the Namekian grand elder, bound by several chains. In the center of the room laid seven large stones. Out of the shadows emerged the shiny metallic figure Cooler who stood taller and more muscular than his brother Frieza. "I haven't had a real fight since I first came to this planet." He paused for a second, then began laughing. "Oh excuse me for a moment, I meant..." he stopped before grabbing Moori by the head and raising it to meet his own, "...massacre."

* * *

Gohan turned to see a small robot floating nearby him and his group. The robot made a small noise, somehow alerting Kibito who turned towards it. "Relax Kibito, I don't think-" Gohan began before the shock of Kibito's eyes quickly glowing and the robot breaking apart in response. "-It's a threat," he finished awkwardly. "Well, I guess Cooler knows we're here now."

Right after he said that, several dozens of giant hulking machines descended around the trio. All of these robots were the same, their bodies gleamed a silver tint that coated nearly all of their armor besides their "face," which was buried in darkness minus a red light that shone through said shadows.

Kibito and Supreme Kai moved out towards the edge of the circle formed the robots before raising their hands outward, both of them yelling "Ha!" and breaking apart the circle. While half of their targets were intact, those that took the full brunt of the ki blasts were completely decimated. "Kibito and I will handle these drones, you focus on taking out Cooler." Supreme Kai said before the two flew their separate ways to destroy the remaining machines.

"Okay," Gohan began, "Now it comes down to me." He looked straight at the Big Gete Star, the source of Namek's turmoil, and charged straight for it.

* * *

Kibito landed on a distant island where the rest of the drones had crashed onto after his initial attack. "I ask that you surrender now. You've already seen what I can do when I destroyed your brethren," he warned. The machines simply stared at him and began to attack by extending their crane-like arms and grabbing onto Kibito's body. He looked around at them before sighing. "You should've listened," he mumbled before powering up and using the ki to shoot away his assailants. The cranes began to release sparks that ran down the arm onto the actual robot before they exploded.

Now with his enemies number halved, he offered another ceasefire. "Please just-" he stopped as the remaining drones rapidly shot rays of ki at the unfazed Kai, whose energy formed a barrier around himself that deflected the assault. "You can't understand me, can you?" he asked, their answer given in the form of a fruitless attack. "Alright then," he said while swinging his left hand to the side, destroying the last of the robotic army. "I need to get back to master, too much time has been wasted!" He worried, despite his quick victory. The overly serious Kai continued his trend as he charged at top speed to the Supreme Kai's side.

* * *

Gohan raced across the planet until Cooler's metallic figure suddenly appeared in front of him and struck him across the cheek with his fist. The surprise blow caused Gohan to be sent flying through the sky. As he stood out of the crater, Gohan prepared himself for another strike from his opponent, who instead descended onto a nearby hill.

"It's been so long, Goku..." the chillingly robotic voice spoke.

Gohan shook his head and laughed. "Sorry Cooler but I'm not Goku, I'm his son, Gohan."

Cooler's cybernetic eyes twitched with irritation. "After all these years, he sends his filthy half-breed monkey scum of a son to stop me! How dare he!" The Prince yelled, his metallic body disappearing from its position and then emerging in front of Gohan, planting his knee firmly into his enemy's gut and causing him to cough up some blood. While Gohan was stunned, Cooler wrapped his tail around him and began to run across the plains, dragging Gohan's face across the dirt and leaving a trail of blood onto the dying grass. From there, he quickly lifted his tail up and turned to face it before beginning to throw several punches and kicks at the body he held. After losing interest, he released his hold on Gohan's neck and planted a fist straight at Gohan's face, sending him flying in the ocean's direction. As a finishing move, Cooler's eyes lit up and a small ball of energy was flung at Gohan before erupting upon contact with him and consuming him in a field of smoke. "The fool wasn't even a Super Saiyan, what did his father expect?" Cooler scoffed while turning his back on the ocean. His condescending stride was cut off by a strike to the head that planted his legs into the ground, forming two tiny craters. "What in the-?" he began before another hit struck him in the back and sent him toppling over before he used his tail to anchor himself.

In front of him stood Gohan, now glowing in his Super Saiyan transform and looking extremely angry. "You wanted a Super Saiyan? Be careful with what you wish for," Gohan taunted as he charged at Cooler, who swung his leg across his body to stop the attack. Anticipating the hit, he slid his body down along the grass and caught Cooler off guard, appearing behind his enemy and throwing a kick at the tyrant's robotic neck. In order to stay on the offensive, Gohan rushed the stunned Cooler and punched his back several times, cracking the metallic shield and crashing into him with both his feet. Gohan quickly placed his hands on his forehead to charge his 'Masenko' attack and shot it at his enemy, watching him be overcome by his energy.

_I can't give him any time to rest!_ Gohan realized. To prevent Cooler from taking his advantage away, Gohan started firing off a barrage of ki blasts. A pained cry from Cooler was briefly heard before the noise of blasts colliding with Cooler's body overcame his own voice. "How many years Cooler?! How many years did they have to suffer underneath your cruelty?!" Gohan screamed at his opponent, not caring that his words were muffled by the blasts.

After some time Gohan ceased firing his blasts and paused to charge a Kamehameha in order to finish Cooler off. "How many?" A voice asked from the smoke cloud Gohan created. The smoke quickly dissolved and from it a severely damaged 'Meta-Cooler' was revealed. "I lost count. Oh I'm sorry, I thought you asked about how many Namekians I slaughtered," Cooler laughed. Out of his battered state came several wires that repaired the body back into its proper state.

"Kamehameha!" Gohan yelled as he fired off his ki blast straight at the repaired Cooler, who vanished and appeared behind the Saiyan, grabbing his right arm and twisting it behind his back. "Aah!" Gohan cried out as Cooler continued pulling at the arm. He then felt his face pressed into the ground once Cooler planted his foot onto the back of Gohan's head, smothering him with Namek itself. _Dammit, how is he overpowering me? I'm supposed to be stronger than this!_

"You're disappointing me boy." Cooler lectured before releasing Gohan and firing off a blast of ki that consumed the plain the two were fighting on. The metallic figure rose into the air to observe his handy work. _I guess I just need to finish off his little friends._

In the same style as Cooler, Gohan teleported in front of his opponent and began throwing a flurry of attacks at him. Punches and kicks threw Cooler through the air and caused his outer shell to start peeling off, no longer able to protect the interior. Gohan quickly grabbed Cooler's left leg and tossed him into the floating remains of the plain. He then quickly moved behind the falling Frost Demon before swinging his leg upward to fling his enemy back into the air, leaving Cooler dazed. This feeling was only intensified as Gohan repeated the process by teleporting above him and, with both hands locked together and raised above his hand, bashed Cooler in the stomach and burying him in the dirt below.

Knowing his ability to regenerate, Gohan began to charge up another 'Kamehameha' to finish off his opponent. Deep within the ocean, Cooler found himself drifting down further into the water and once again broken before he gradually overcame the force of the waves. Just as he started repairing his shattered body he heard Gohan's voice booming far away. "Kamehame..." In response, Cooler started to charge a large beam of energy to counteract the Saiyan's blast. Aware that Gohan's attack was not yet complete, Cooler fired off the beam in order to consume his opponent. The blast however never made contact with its target as Gohan suddenly appeared to the side of Cooler, allowing him only a few seconds to turn to the sight before Gohan finished his chant with a "Ha!" that carried him out of the water and up into space, his machine-like body slowly deteriorating into nothing.

Gohan eventually flew out of the water, panting heavily and returning to his base form. He dragged himself over to a nearby island so he could rest. "That...was...harder than...expected..." he muttered in-between breaths. _At least it's over._ Gohan thought.

"Looks like you need a hand," a voice said. Gohan turned around to see Meta-Cooler standing on the mountain behind him. And another one. And another. Over the mountain stood hundreds of Coolers.

"What the-?" Gohan wondered before being cut off by three of the Coolers appearing next to him and striking Gohan's chest, back, and forehead. He used his hands to push off the ground and with the momentum did a spinning kick that struck all three of the clones. While they were stunned, he flew up and began charging Yamcha's signature 'Spirit Ball' technique before firing it off. Twisting his fingers back and forth, Gohan pierced through the three Coolers and caused them to explode before the energy whittled away into a speck.

"C'mon you...bastards..." he weakly said, provoking the rest of the group. Gohan watched as the rest charged at him and he began to power up with all the power he had. "I didn't want to do this!" He yelled as he began fighting more viciously than he had ever done before, his muscles bulkier than normal and his attacks even more powerful. He sent a punch that knocked one of the clones head clean off its body before shoving his other hand down the robotic neck and firing off an energy blast that disrupted its internal system and destroying the body entirely.

Two more flew at him in a straight line, allowing Gohan to throw a 'Kienzan' that cut through both before he forced Krillin's technique to implode on itself and the ki to wipe out the Cooler clones. Four more clones surrounded him and attempted to annihilate him with four separate ki blasts, only to fail when he powered up and created an intense energy field that erased them from existence. He continued the process as more and more were overwhelmed by his expanding field. Suddenly the number of Meta-Coolers dwindled, allowing Gohan to alternate strategies as it seemed they were strategizing. "Dodon Ray!" He yelled as a beam shot from his right index finger and into one of the remaining machines' foreheads, leading to another explosion. "You guys are really flammable," he commented.

"And deadly!" Another yelled out from above. The rest all suddenly flew away from Gohan, leaving him to look up at the clouds and see what motivated their fleeing. He saw the Cooler clone with his index finger raised and the enormous ball of energy floating above it. The ball was a red and orange hue that mimicked the appearance of Earth's sun. While Gohan was stronger than any of the clones individually, the surprise attack threatened the stability of Namek.

"No, your family has hurt these people and their home long enough!" Gohan screamed. He flew towards the sky, ready to confront the blast.

"Begone!" The clone's voice boomed as he swiped his hand across his body, forcing the ball of energy to start descending down towards the core of the planet, building more and more momentum as it did so. "Yes, burn you insufferable monkey!" The clone laughed, as he watched the tiny speck that was the charging Super Saiyan disappear beneath the giant energy ball. "Wait..." Cooler paused as he stared at the ball. It had stopped moving. On the other side of the ball stood Gohan, his hands pressed into the attack and pushing against its downward acceleration. His ki was a more intense gold than ever before as he relied on all the energy he had in reserves.

"Dammit Cooler...what is with your family and blowing up planets?!" Gohan asked out, knowing he couldn't be heard over the intense sound of the attack singing his palms' skin. "Never mind, don't care!" he yelled. He really didn't care. Not about Cooler, not about the Big Gete Star, not even about the pain that should have been unbearable. All Gohan could focus on was saving the Namekians. His muscles began to bulge even more and cuts started to form all around his body from the intensity of his transformation. Blood dripped down from his eyes and nose as the collision continued. _This ends now!_ His mind screamed out as he hurled the ball back up towards it creator, consuming him and almost continuing out into space before Gohan fired off a quick ki blast that caused it to implode. No longer focused on stopping the 'Super Nova', the pain from the scenario began taking its toll. His hands burned terribly and all the muscles in his body were strained from his attempt at a new transformation. "Dammit...I'm all out of energy."

Gohan collapsed onto the ground and heard the sound of several feet touching down. He stood on one knee to see the rest of the clones surround him. "Only seven left? This is better than I thought," he mumbled before jumping off the grass and shooting off a flurry of energy that took out two of his opponents. He grabbed at another pair of clones' heads and smashed them together in-between his palms, leaving only three opponents left. Gohan crossed his arms together in his regular defensive stance but his hands were stretched out, forming smaller and more compact Kienzans. "Raah!" He groaned as he swung his arms back to their sides and sent the oval-shaped attacks at the enemies, taking out another duo. With only one left, Gohan smugly walked over and planted his foot firmly into the ground, coiling his arm back before twisting his body to the side and sending his fist into the 'heart' of the machine and exploding it. He winced a little at the explosion as it consumed his hand before pulling it back and losing his balance. He fell back onto his hands and feet, chuckling as he felt victory. The feeling was short-lived as a beam of energy came from behind and pierced through his shoulder.

"Round three?" A Meta-Cooler asked as he stepped out of hiding and onto the crest of another hill. Behind him emerged more and more of the clones until Gohan realized his own ignorance in expecting victory. He stood up to face them until his body stopped functioning from over-exertion. His powerful new form came at a price as he had not adapted to using it as he had done with his regular Super Saiyan form.

Gohan landed on his arms and knees just as his hair and eyes turned toward their natural color and a clone struck him in the chin with his knee. The airborne Saiyan stopped himself from continuing to drift in the air and removed the Z-Sword from the scabbard on his back. "Alright, last ditch effort time," he whispered to himself, holding the blade out with both hands. _Deep breaths...deep breaths...focus...focus on the blade...focus your ki around the blade..._The blade began to be surrounded in a thick white line of ki. _There we go...now slowly..._he moved the weapon to his left side and dropped down to where the Coolers stood.

"HHHAAAAAAA!" Gohan yelled as he swung the blade to his other side, creating an intense blast of wind that sent the first two waves of the clone far across Namek. He quickly flew at the third wave, penetrating the body of the center clone with the sword and raising it up out of the clone's structure. The machine exploded, sending him flying back and crashing into the mountain behind him and leaving him buried beneath the gravel.

The remaining members extended each of their fingers towards the collapsed landscape and rapidly fired off several tiny balls of ki that built upon each other, forming one giant cumulative explosion that left the entire area clouded in smoke. Afterwards, the third wave approached the remains of their target. "What?" one of them said as they looked to see Gohan nowhere in sight. "Dammit!" another added. "Where could he have gone?" a third asked. A loud beep erupted from each of the Coolers.

_New Information Received...New Directions...Search for the Saiyan..._

* * *

"Thanks for the help," Gohan told Kibito, who had quickly teleported him away from the massive ki blast. Kibito nodded and turned away, standing on-guard and surveying the area to see if they were safe. Gohan lifted off his scabbard and rested by a nearby rock. "How's it looking Kibito?" he asked his buff friend. He glanced back at him and smirked, expressing through body language that the group was safe.

Supreme Kai kneeled down beside his friend and began to speak. "You were able to fight a lot of them off, I'm impressed," he complimented. Gohan tried to seem indifferent but smiled at the comment. "Not only that but I could sense your experimental transformation. While you weren't able to manipulate it fully, I'm pleased to see your progress."

"We need to think up a plan," Kibito turned to say to the other two.

"I know," Supreme Kai said.

"The problem is that he's been able to produce several clones," Gohan began. "We won't be able to stop Cooler unless we shut down the source: The Big Gete Star."

The other two exposed their grave expressions, something that seemed like a habit for them. "There would need to be a distraction in order for that to work." Kibito stated.

"Indeed there would," Supreme Kai thought out loud, both he and Gohan glaring at Kibito. "Kibito, with your 'Instantaneous Movement' technique you should be able to distract the clones long enough for the two of us to sneak into the Big Gete Star and destroy it." Supreme Kai proposed.

"I...see. Very well then master, whatever you wish," Kibito stated before approaching Gohan and pressing his hand on the Saiyan's chest. A quick flash later and Gohan's energy had been restored. "Even with his energy now concealed, it's likely that his energy was detected when it shot up just now. Allow me to get their attention." Without another word, the Kai flew away into the distance, raising his ki a noticeable amount and drawing the Meta-Coolers attention.

"Now it's time to do our part," Supreme Kai said, patting Gohan on the back and flying off towards the giant metal dome that was the Big Gete Star. The Saiyan equipped his weapon and met up with his friend, the two heading straight at their target while suppressing their energy.

* * *

Kibito stood high above the waves and watched as hundreds of Meta-Coolers surrounded him. Although they didn't give off any life energy, he could tell from appearance the awesome might all of them possessed together. He began to drift away from their circle, causing one of the clones to appear behind Kibito in an attempt to surprise him. Unfortunately for said clone, Kibito had mastered Instantaneous Movement, making the less advanced techniques such as Instant Transmission seem like child's play to him. As the clone swung his tail at Kibito's head, he was met with two tiny beams of energy that shot into his chest that led to it collapsing, unable to properly function. Two more swung at his sides, both blocked by the Kai's forearms. Kibito gripped onto the leg of the one attacking his right and the tail of the one to his left and smashed the two into one another, completely annihilating them.

"This is pathetic," he mockingly uttered, underwhelmed by Cooler's forces. This belief was shortly changed however, as several of the robots charged at him, their combined force able to throw him off balance upon ramming into him. In an attempt to maintain the offensive, they all fired off several rounds of bullet-like ki blasts from their hands, forcing Kibito deep into the water below. The hundreds of Coolers stopped their onslaught once they could no longer detect the Kai's energy.

"Report in," the seemingly-head Cooler said to one of his 'twins.' "One of the three have been elimi-"

The order was cut off as a blast of energy erupted from the sky and blew through half of the leader's head. In the direction of the blast Kibito could be spotted, appearing both unharmed and amused. "Numbers are all that you fools have going for you. My master need not be troubled by your existence," he scoffed while waving his hand across his body, causing some of the machines to be sliced in half by the Kai's ki manipulation.

Beaten and humiliated, the remaining hundreds of Coolers charged straight for their predator like caged animals. Kibito simply chuckled before he evaporated into thin air, teleporting himself several hundreds of miles away. "Rinse and repeat," he mumbled to himself as he began to raise his energy signal again. Far away where he had left them, the Coolers detected the surge in power and began flying in that direction. _And now we wait,_ Kibito thought to himself.

* * *

Gohan and the Supreme Kai had just found their way into the Big Gete Star. The two wandered about before they discovered a dungeon-like room that housed several Namekians, each chained with the same material that created the Meta-Coolers and with wires strapped to their antenna. None of them seemed to be aware of their surroundings, as told to the two by the lack of pupils in their eyes. Gohan glanced around the room and saw something he wasn't ready for. In the back of the room sat a young man around his age, secured like the rest but also gravely bruised and wounded. The Saiyan began to approach him, all the while Supreme Kai stated his disapproval. "Focus Gohan, we need to stop Cooler," he advised in a whisper.

"Dende?" Gohan asked quietly, his heart pained by the sight. There lay his childhood friend, beaten and held captive by the same family that had already slaughtered his entire planet less than two decades ago_. I'm so sorry I wasn't here Dende. I should have been, I know. But there were troubles on my planet that kept from this. But I'm here now. I'll stop Cooler and free your people._ "Please just hold on until then," he begged his friend. Gohan stood up and turned away from the sight, his eyes showing even more anger than before. He exited the room and continued walking down the corridor, Supreme Kai following close behind.

Suddenly there were no more rooms left for them to search through but instead just a clear path to an open room. The two stared at the surrounding area to see in the center, a giant Cooler hanging in the air with wires running through him.

"Welcome..." The decapitated head said loudly, his voice booming throughout the structure. "I assume you've come to kill me?" He said in a condescending tone.

"Be careful Gohan," Supreme Kai instructed. "Given his demeanor I doubt he's unprepared for this encounter."

"Indeed, I'm not!" The voice screeched. "Let me show you what I've been cooking up, in a manner of speaking." The sound of metal scrapping against metal echoed around them until they saw out of the floor rose a giant glass container, inside showing what seemed like any other Meta-Cooler. The glass opened up and the machine's eyes lit up.

Gohan moved into his fighting stance at glared quizzically at the foe. "It looks like all the other ones," Gohan said.

"Oh but it's not, you'll see soon enough." The voice replied. At those words the machine began to bulk up strangely, as though the robot had muscles, and the metal began to expand to form a thicker armor around the body. An obscure head guard appeared above the Meta-Cooler's head and a mouth guard emerged, covering all of the face except the eyes.

"This is bad," Gohan muttered, realizing how serious this final machine really was.

"I don't understand! How can a machine do that?" Supreme Kai asked the floating head.

"It's simple really, this 'machine' is bio-mechanical. With the power of the Big Gete Star, I was not only able to create robotic clones of myself but an actual mixture of technology and biology that produced a living, breathing-"

"Enough!" The Newly introduced Meta-Cooler yelled. "Stop talking like you know it all! You're not even the real Cooler, I am." Without even a chance to reply, the new Cooler shot a 'Death Beam' that exploded the head. Putting himself back together, the Meta-Cooler turned to the other two and spoke up. "Forgive that little outburst, I had just finished transmitting my mind into this new body and the Big Gete Star left a clone's programming take over the head once I had moved on. But oh my, I hadn't expected him to go on like that. That's not something I would ever do."

"Okay then, let's move on from that whole episode," Gohan responded. He quickly switched into his Super Saiyan form and pulled out his Z-Sword. "Time to finish this!" He yelled as he charged straight at the new monster, swinging his sword to the side in an attempt to quickly behead him. Cooler was too fast however, as he had already ducked before the blade could strike him, retaliating with a swift blow from the back of his hand that landed in Gohan's gut. He dropped his sword, holding the wounded spot and backing away in pain, only to feel more as Cooler teleported above him and planted his enormous foot right on Gohan's forehead, smothering the Saiyan and shoving him deep within the floor. Knowing about Gohan's durability, Cooler pulled him out of the ground and swung him at the wall, the body denting the structure before being consumed by a ki blast targeted at him right after the throw.

Gohan pressed off the wall and punched Cooler's head, stunning the Frost Demon for a brief moment, but that time was all he needed. Gohan swung his foot out from underneath Cooler, causing him to lose his balance and allowing Gohan to grab the cybernetic tail and use it to propel him upward. "Kamehameha!" Gohan yelled as he fired off the Z-Fighters' signature move, the attack lighting up the entire room in a blue haze that was only undone once the blast pierced through the ceiling. The Cooler crashed onto the ground and glared at Gohan angrily.

"We're not done yet!" Cooler yelled as he ran across the floor straight at his target, who proceeded to do the same. The two met in the middle of the room, their arms and knees blocking the other's strikes, leaving neither able to make a serious dent in the other's armor. The odds tipped in Gohan's favor as Cooler fell forward slightly, losing his balance upon being struck from behind by the Supreme Kai's attack. Gohan placed both of his hands onto his opponent's chest and fired off a massive ki blast that left him in a crater formed against the side of the wall. Cooler moved out of it casually before firing off a ki blast that was easily slapped away by Gohan.

_What's happening to him?_ Gohan wondered as the fight became easier and easier for him to win. It was at that moment Gohan had punched at the Frost Demon's shoulder, breaking it slightly off and pressing Cooler back. Gohan watched as Cooler began to repair himself before a tiny explosion popped out of the wound and Cooler screamed in frustration; his body wasn't repairing itself.

"Dammit all! Why won't this work!" Cooler yelled out, his body beginning to slightly unhinge itself. Seizing an opportunity, Gohan lunged for the Z-Sword and swung it straight down across Cooler's body, splitting the creature in half.

"Now!" Gohan yelled as he fired off a ki blast that was aided by the Supreme Kai's own, the two attacks breaking Cooler's armor apart.

_Dammit, I didn't want it to end like this. Activate Safety Measurement K! _Cooler's metallic body slowly was peeled away at by the intensity of the ki, the power eventually leaving nothing but dust in its wake.

"We did it!" Gohan yelled as he boastfully raised his hands up in the air with pride. Supreme Kai smiled at the gesture and the two began to race out of the room to help the Namekians.

* * *

After the fight had initially ended, Gohan and the Supreme Kai helped all of Namek's people escape the Big Gete Star. The pair then proceeded to gather up the Dragon Balls and exited the structure themselves. Shortly afterwards, they were met by Kibito, who seemed no worse for wear.

Once the dust had settled, the trio learned of Moori's decision to close off his connection to the Dragon Balls after the Big Gete Star's arrival. Since then, Cooler had been attempting to learn of the procedure to re-activate them by using his advanced technology to draw the information out from their minds, to no avail thankfully.

"So why do you think that Cooler wasn't functioning properly at the end?" Gohan asked the Supreme Kai.

"I've wondered the same thing myself since that fight occurred. Perhaps Cooler was not as in-control as we thought. Upon destroying the head that had stored his mind for so long, he may have cut his ties to the Big Gete Star without even realizing it." The Supreme Kai stated.

Gohan rubbed his chin and pondered the idea. "I guess it is possible that the Big Gete Star was as parasitic as it looked and it really was using Cooler without him ever knowing. Although he had deluded himself into thinking he was making all the calls, the Big Gete Star was pulling the string up until when he was destroyed by his own host. How ironic," Gohan mused. The three stayed silent for awhile after Gohan spoke. _What was the real purpose of that machine? What planet was meant to be destroyed?_ the Saiyan wondered.

* * *

_Alright guys, the Cooler story has been completed and wow, was this tough to finish up. It takes me a while to write this much and I had to start this all on Saturday and have used all time available to me since then in order to finish up this chapter. I really enjoyed this part of the story since now I feel like we're getting pretty close to wrapping up the first saga of the story, which will give me the chance to revise the prologue and chapter 1. Anyways, this Q&amp;A is going to be a quick one, as there has only been one reviewer with a question since the release of chapter 5._

* * *

**Q&amp;A:**

**Q: **_an emotional chapter, still very nice.__so, are we going to see Dende again? I hope so, because he is so adorable_

**A: **_First, thank you for compliments as last chapter was extremely important to me and I appreciate hearing that you enjoyed it. As for Dende, the answer is yes, as you've learned from reading this chapter._

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_Alright, now that we're back to Sunday release scheduling (albeit really late on Sunday), we'll be able to maintain a proper schedule. See you next Sunday readers!_


	8. Chapter 7: Guiding Light

**Chapter 7: Guiding Light**

* * *

_Hey guys, looks like I got this chapter out on time. This one doesn't have a huge focus on Gohan but given that he had entire chapter dedicated to just himself I think he could use a break. Seriously, I'm pretty sure Gohan has passed out in at least half of these chapters, if not more. The guy's got a serious problem with that. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

Trunks laid in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, his knees and wrists pressed against the ground in a defeated pose.

_How much time has passed? An hour, a day, a month? There's no way to tell. I can't see anything. No, I see everything, there just isn't anything. It's an infinite plane of emptiness that's swallowing me up. Swallowing me up...I'm going to die here, I'm going to die here, I'm going to...FOCUS! You need to calm down. Take deep breaths...there you go, now let's figure this out. I followed Dad here. No, it wasn't Dad, he's dead. But the dead can came back right? Mom told me about the Dragon Balls and...no, Piccolo's dead and we don't know where Namek is...Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!_

He banged his fists against the floor, anger and desperation strengthening each punch. "I wanted to get stronger!" He screamed out against the overwhelming sound of silence. "Was that so wrong? What did I do that was so wrong?!" He boomed across the area.

"You're weak, that's all." A voice whispered from behind him. Trunks turned to see Android 18 behind him, speaking into his ear. "You know it, deep down. You knew it was over after we killed Gohan, you had no hope. You were going to die either way, so you took the coward's way out." The voice taunted him.

"That's not true!" Trunks yelled back. "I'm not afraid, I'm not!" His body began to glow as he transformed into a Super Saiyan.

"It's funny how you all think changing your hair will make you beat us," She began as she swiftly slid under a kick thrown by the provoked Trunks. He threw a punch at her, which she caught and used to twist him around and toss into the air. As he accelerated upwards, she appeared behind him and with both feet struck him square in the head, causing him to spiral back down into the ground and leave a crater. She descended next to him and picked him up by the back of his shirt. His wounded face rose to meet hers and she began to smile. "Let me show you how a natural blonde fights."

* * *

Gohan paced back and forth around the small building. "Why are you so nervous, you've spoken with these people before. You saved them all when you were a child," Kibito said.

Gohan stopped walking and turned to face him. "It's different now. Back then, it was all about mutual survival but now I'm asking them, after they just escaped the Hell Cooler put them through, to re-activate the Dragon Balls in order to repair some of the Androids damage. I want them to approve but I'm imposing on them," he admitted.

"By 'escaped' you mean 'were liberated by you?'" Kibito commented.

Gohan sighed and sat down on the grass. "I know I helped them but they need to do some healing too. And given that the Dragon Balls haven't been used in over a decade, I'm not even sure how it'll work. I never really knew much about it."

"Regardless of whether or not you're able to fix the damage, take solace in that soon after this, we're going back to Earth." Kibito told him.

"That's true but what if I'm not strong enough. It could be a repeat of last time, you saw how that turned out." Gohan replied.

"What I saw was a man with a broken arm fighting evenly with two monsters from his home planet. You only stumbled because they had caught you by surprise with their tactics." Kibito assured him. "I had my doubts when my master first mentioned you to me but now I've come around to see what he saw in you: Greatness."

"Greatness...to be honest, I had always been torn between my human and Saiyan sides. I guess that came from my parents. I wanted to be a warrior like my father but also a successful scientist in order to provide for my mother. The Androids took that dream away from me early on," Gohan revealed.

"That's funny," Kibito muttered.

"What?"

"I believe this is the first time you've ever mentioned your mother to me. Why is that?" Kibito asked.

"Well, it's not as though we exactly had a bad relationship but I couldn't come home to her, beaten and nearly half-dead after my fights with the Androids. I knew she wouldn't be able to handle seeing that. So I just left a note one night and left home for good. I told her that I loved her but it was something I needed to do and that I wouldn't come back to her until I had. I haven't gone back to that house since." Gohan's voice trailed off as his mind wandered to thoughts of his family.

"I understand that you've suffered an unfair life. But you've risen above it and you heard your father. You made him proud." Kibito said comfortingly, placing an arm on his friend's shoulder. "Remove those feelings of doubt you have, you will beat the Androids. Although it is our duty to remain uninvolved in the individual affairs of the planets, we will not let you die. This I swear to you."

The promise helped Gohan to relax. "Besides," the fighter chuckled, "you haven't even taught me 'Instantaneous Movement.'"

"Maybe if you could move even remotely far away with Instant Transmission." Kibito jabbed.

The two laughed for a bit, Kibito's smile being a rare but welcomed sight for Gohan. The sound of Moori and Supreme Kai exited the Grand Elder's home quickly quieted them. Moori looked seriously at Gohan, intimidating the Saiyan. His face suddenly turned into a smile as he laughed and told him that they'd attempt to awaken the Dragon immediately. Gohan ran up to the Elder and hugged him, all the while speaking words of gratitude.

"Now, now, it's fine. We've always considered the 'Son' family a part of our own. You young man are our hero. Of course we'd help you in your time of need, you've been there during both of ours." Moori told him.

_It's finally coming together,_ Gohan thought to himself. _We're almost there Trunks, just hold on a little bit longer._

"Well now," Supreme Kai began. "I suppose that we should see what you can do before we head back to Earth. After all, we have to defeat the threat before we can resolve its wrongdoings."

* * *

Android 16 glanced back and forth across the kitchen, his eyes following Bulma's stride as she anxiously awaited Trunks' return home.

"Where in the HELL is he?!" She questioned angrily, her fear for his safety converting into frustration.

"I do not-" Android 16 began before another outcry cut him off.

"I was being rhetorical Sixteen!" She screamed before storming off into the basement.

_Sixteen?_ The Android wondered_. I am designated as Android Model #16. The more appropriate name is Android 16. They had referred to me as such before. Perhaps this is an example of humanity's habit of growing attached to things, affectionately providing nicknames._

* * *

"Hello friends, I apologize for taking so long to visit you," a young voice said.

"It's fine_, I've been feeding your little birdies in the meantime," a much older and wiser man emerged to say.

"Father?" The first man said, his voice a whisper from what seemed like overwhelming emotions.

* * *

Android 16 grasped his head and held it as he stumbled along until leaning onto the table for balance.

_What was that?_ The machine asked himself. It _seemed so...familiar. Perhaps this is a part of my missing memory data. I should consult Miss Briefs about this phenomenon. _The Android paused on his way to the basement. His hand froze up against the door knob. He turned away from the entrance for reason's the Android could not explain and began to fly off. _There are more important tasks at hand,_ he told himself. _I shall begin to locate Trunks. _He began to disappear into the distance on his way to where he had initially sensed the half-Saiyan just the day before.

* * *

Trunks swerved out of the way of one of Android 18's kicks and managed to propel his knee into her chest, the blow crashing into her mechanical interior.

"You little brat!" The Android groaned as she stumbled back, only to be struck across the cheek by another hit, followed by a dozen more. Each attack moved with more intensity than the last, Trunks' rage building on itself until he was able to smack the head clean off the neck.

"Burning Attack!" He yelled as he fired off his own signature ki blast, the explosion completely decimating his opponent. Fatigued, he collapsed onto the ground panting heavily. "I did it Gohan, I did it!" He triumphantly declared.

"I don't get it #18, what did he do?" A voice echoed from behind. With fright, Trunks turned his neck to see behind him stood Android 17, accompanied by a perfectly fine Android 18.

"I'm not entirely sure #17. But it does look like he got emancipated. Maybe that's what he's talking about." She replied.

Confused, Trunks turned back to the wreckage he was staring at just a few moments before to see in the place of the broken machinery lay a battered old woman, blood trailing from around her body. "M-mom?" The boy mumbled, terrified at the sight. He ran over to her, lifting up the lifeless corpse and shaking it as though it would do something. "Mom? Mom? Mom!?" He begged for her to get up, all to no avail. In his arms was the last of his family, horrifically brutalized.

"She was boring," Android 17 said, a smile twisting onto his face. "She didn't back down throughout our entire thing...until we got to my favorite part..." The Android grew silent but raised his hands, both stained with red.

"You...you..." Trunks muttered, his entire body shaking. "You BASTARD!" He screeched, his voice going out halfway through as his body lit up in the brightest gold tint to ever grace Earth, his energy rising to even greater heights. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" He chanted as he charged towards them, flying straight in-between and tearing an arm off of each of them and leaving both stunned.

"How did you...?" Android 18 began before Trunks grabbed her by the throat and began to squeeze.

"How many people have you killed over the years witch? Do you even know?" He asked her. His eyes rapidly turned to the stunned Android 17. "What about you? You play all those games, you must've kept score! Tell me! How many people are forced to suffer before it was your time!" He needed to know. _Did they have any idea the amount of lives they had stolen. Did it hold any meaning to them?_

"Of course it did," Android 17 said. Trunks stared at him with a confused look as both the Android's suddenly twisted their appearance to those of two young children. Surprised, Trunks released Android 18 and stepped back.

"We were once children too," Android 18 began. "I had dreams, my brother had dreams, just like you have dreams. But ours were snatched away by Dr. Gero. He turned us into these monsters." The two reverted back into their adult forms as Android 18 laid down and began to sob. Seeing an innocent woman breaking down in front of him, Trunks knelt to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry this had to happen to you," he said. He really was sorry. He knew what they did was wrong but understood what happened to them was just as tragic. "You didn't deserve that."

She turned to him with a face full of tears and hugged him, all the while begging his forgiveness. Trunks blushed at the embrace but followed through and wrapped his arms around her back to tell her it was okay. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" She whispered into his ear before pushing away from the hug and smashing the back of his head against the ground. As though on cue, Android 17 placed his foot on the Saiyan's head and pressed down on it, embedding Trunks' face into the white below them.

"You really are a fool. How could you fall for such a simple trick?" Android 18 taunted as she kicked him up into the air, breaking a few ribs along the way and firing off an energy blast that carried him away across the area.

Trunks laid there for some time, contemplating whether it was worth it to even bother getting up. Unfortunately, before he could make a decision the answer was decided by the twins crashing their feet straight into his legs, breaking both and causing him to scream out in pain. He slowly wheezed for air, reverting back to his base form, as Android 18 began to lay on top of him. She put her forehead against his and smirked. "Goodbye," she teased as she gave him a kiss on the cheek and rose up from her position. Trunks could only stare at her with an expression of utter shock while both she and her brother began to walk away, fading into nothing.

The pain suddenly left his legs as he realized that the Androids, like his father earlier, were just mere illusions provided by the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. He rubbed his hand across where the fake Android 18 had kissed his cheek and thought back to the moment.

_Where did that come from?_ Trunks wondered as he stood up and began walking around in hopes of finding his destination.

"No Trunks, the path is this way." Trunks turned to see the figure behind that call being Android 16.

_No, not him, it's an illusion!_ He ignored the advice as he moved along into the opposite direction.

"Trunks, please wait!" The Android called as it ran towards him.

"Alright, I'm done with these illusions!" He screamed, quickly ascending into a Super Saiyan. "Let's go, tin man!"

* * *

_Earlier that day..._

Android 16 descended onto the dying grass as he discovered a giant pole rising up out of it. Without a word, he flew up and followed the trail until discovering a giant circular platform high into the clouds. He landed onto the tiles that made up the floor and began to stride across the area, his scanners moving around in order to detect Trunks' energy.

"I see, so there's another Android," an old floating cat said as it emerged from the shadows. "What do you think of him, Mr. Popo?" The cat asked.

Another figure came out of hiding, a short genie, who glared at Android 16. "So what do we call you, Android 19?" The genie asked.

Android 16 shook his head and began to explain. "I am designated as Android model #16. You may call me..." he paused before continuing, "Sixteen."

"Alright then, 'Sixteen,' tell me what you're doing here at our home?" The cat asked, his voice serious and demanding.

"I've come to look for the boy known as Trunks. His mother is worried about his safety, as am I." Sixteen answered honestly.

"Hmmm..." The cat groaned, rubbing his furry chin with a paw. "We haven't seen him here."

"Korin, why are you even indulging his..." Mr. Popo began before Korin cut him off.

"Mr. Popo, I ask that you quickly bring Bulma here, I'd like her side of the story." Korin stated.

Mr. Popo did as he was told, quickly summoning a magic carpet and disappearing, only to return shortly after with a disoriented Bulma.

"What...do you want?" She asked as she slowly adjusted to the new surroundings and recovered from the carpet's quick acceleration. She turned to see Android 16 standing with them, causing her to gasp. "Sixteen, why are you here?"

Sixteen turned to her and smiled. "I believed Trunks might've been here so I came to look for myself. Unfortunately I cannot detect his energy at this location." He answered.

Korin approached the Android and floated up to meet his face. "I see that you were telling the truth, you'll have to forgive me for my natural dislike of your...'species.' The other two have left me with some bias."

The cat began to approach the edge of the lookout and stare down at the Earth below. After a few minutes, he looked back at them. "Nothing, I don't detect him anywhere."

"Maybe he's just concealing his energy!" Bulma shouted, trying to ignore the more logical reasoning.

"He wouldn't need to, the other two can't detect life energy. However, I would have detected a fight between Trunks and them so I can assure you he's not dead. But why on Earth can't I sense his ki." The cat began running through all the possible scenarios until it hit him. _The Hyperbolic Time Chamber!_ The cat looked to Mr. Popo, who carried the same expression. "You, follow us!" He ordered to Sixteen, the three marching into the inside of the Lookout, leaving Bulma alone and at a loss for words.

* * *

"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber is capable of manipulating all who enter unprepared. I told Trunks he couldn't handle it but like all Saiyans, he's too stubborn to listen to reason." Korin explained. "What we need is someone who is unaffected by these mind games, something like you." Android 16 made no reaction to the statement but Korin and Mr. Popo wouldn't have noticed even if he did. Their minds were entirely focused on saving Earth's last hope. They had now reached the door and the two guardians turned to the Android.

"It's time, go inside." Mr. Popo gestured to the knob. The Android wrapped his large hand around it and swung the door open, casually stepping into the other realm.

The room was nothing but white for all the Android could see. His eyes lit up, scanning the area only to find itself being overloaded with data. It was clear to Sixteen that he would not be able to comprehend the room and so he began to focus on what his eyes could understand: Energy Levels. He took a few steps forward, trying to find any signs of the Saiyan. However, it wasn't the power that alerted Sixteen but instead deafening cries that extended far out into the distance.

"Burning Attack!" An explosion from what seemed infinitely far away from Sixteen shook the ground to its core. The Android disregarded this however, instead choosing to charge at the origin, hoping he could find Trunks.

His eyes began to adjust to and process the abstract data. He recorded the amount of distance and the directions he flew as he moved towards the sound, intending to use those in order to find his way back with Trunks. More shouting helped guide the machine forward until the last thing he heard were screams of pain. _What is happening?_ He wondered, concerned for the boy's safety.

Eventually he saw a figure and landed next to it, his boots making tiny tapping noises against the ground. Despite the pained screaming he had heard he saw Trunks standing up fine, his back towards the Android and walking forwards.

"No Trunks, the path is this way." The Android warned, indicating back from where he had came. Despite glancing back at him, Trunks turned away again and continued walking. "Trunks please wait!" He begged, surprised by Trunks ignoring his advice. _Why is he disregarding me?_

Suddenly, Trunks snapped around and turned into a Super Saiyan. "Alright, I'm done with these illusions! Let's go tin man!" He declared, quickly barreling towards Sixteen with his fists raised to strike.

Trunks threw a fist directly at Sixteen's head, who merely grabbed his wrist and tossed him to the side. He pressed his feet onto the ground and pushed off them, back flipping so that he was behind the Android and delivering a flurry of hits to Sixteen's back. Once he had felt that he'd done enough damage he jumped back and fired off a barrage of energy waves. As each collided with the Android's back, clouds of smoke formed on top of each other and buried Sixteen's figure.

Trunks flew back away and began charging an energy ball in his right hand. "Die!" He shouted as his arm swept down and the blast tunneled at the Android, eclipsing him in even more smoke. He dropped down to the floor and began approaching the burned clouds. He jumped back as an arm rose out of the clouds and struck him square in the chin.

Sixteen walked out of the smoke and walked closely to Trunks, extending a hand to the stumbling fighter. "I don't know what I've done to upset you but please, let's go home," he offered. Wearily, the boy slapped it away and stood up, prepared to continue the brawl.

"I won't let an illusion beat me!" He declared, coiling his fist back and sending it right at the 'heart' of the Android, slow enough for Sixteen to knock the hit upwards with a smack of his own and leaving him free to grab Trunks by the collar and tossed him back the way Sixteen had traveled. Trunks let out a loud grunt as his stomach hit the floor and he rose up to see far away stood a tiny dot. _But it was a dot...there was something there!_ He raced towards it, all the while disregarding Sixteen entirely. He was getting closer and closer to the entrance before he turned to see Android 16 behind him.

"No!" He yelled out as he began firing off wave after wave at the machine, who slapped every blast away and vanished from behind, emerging in front of him.

"Please, stop fighting. I am only here to help. That is the exit to this place so I ask that you do still enter it." Sixteen pleaded.

Trunks glared at him, the two frozen in the air. "You're just an-"

"That's enough," the Android cut in. "We need to get you out of here and back to your family and friends so we can set Earth right!"

"Set it right? Set it right? It's you and your kind that put it into chaos to begin with! Do you understand what it's like growing up, with your father murdered, your mother in fear and your best friend traumatized by tragedy? That's what you bastards gave to me!" Trunks shouted, his finger pointed accusingly at Sixteen.

The Android simply stared at Trunks for what seemed like forever before speaking to him. "I don't know. But I know what it's like to hate the state the world's in. I was designed with two core concepts guiding me: A hatred of Goku and a love of nature. With the former already deceased, all that motivates me is the latter. I aim to preserve life here. It's all I have. I don't want to see anyone else die..." Sixteen's voice drifted into silence.

"Else?" Trunks asked him.

"When I first woke up, my brethren took me to a broken city and murdered a young girl right in front of me. I felt that same rage. That girl didn't deserve that. No one does. Let's resolve this nightmare." Sixteen said, his hand stretched out one more time to the boy.

_He's not like the others..he cares. I was wrong about him._ "Yeah, lets!" He said, accepting the handshake and walking with his friend towards the door that lead to the outside world.

"Hey, should we call you Sixteen now?" Trunks asked.

"Heh, your mother gave me the same nickname," Sixteen commented. "I like it. Strange to think that I could have a preference for something as simple as a name. I suppose humanity's rubbing off on me," He jested.

The door swung open, alerting both Korin and Mr. Popo. They were instantly relieved by the sight of a slightly older Trunks, his clothes now too small for him and somewhat torn by whatever occurred in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. The boy nodded to them and began to walk out to the top of the Lookout with Sixteen close behind.

Bulma ran to her son and hugged him before she began checking him for bruises. He insisted that he was fine but his mother refused to hear it, instead forcing his shirt off and seeing injuries where there weren't. Eventually satisfied, she stepped back to see her son now taller than before and standing next to the hulking figure that was their Android companion. "Looks like you two are closer now," she joked.

Trunks rubbed the back of his head and conceded that his mother had been right for trusting Sixteen. "I guess I let the other two give me a bit of a bias," he shrugged.

"Bias? They left you riddled with hatred," Korin spat as he and Mr. Popo joined the other three. "I don't remember telling you to use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. In fact, our conversation involved the exact opposite, so mind telling me what caused such disobedience?"

Trunks simply justified his actions with, "I'm only Saiyan," leaving all except Sixteen laughing hysterically.

"That's adorable," his mother teased as she ruffled her hand through his hair. "So, did you get any stronger?" She asked curiously.

"I don't know, let's see." Trunks began before his body lit up in a golden flame that the group had become accustomed to seeing.

"Oh my, that's...impressive..." Korin stammered. Both he and Mr. Popo were astonished by the power level readings. "With this, I think you're stronger than Gohan was. In fact, if I may be so bold you could even fight one of the Androids equally!"

Trunks smirked and looked at his mother, a glimmer of hope shining in his eyes.

"Absolutely not," she forbade. "Remember that there are two of them and only one of you whose able to defeat them. What happens after you beat one of them. You die? I won't let it happen!" She declared.

"Neither will I," Sixteen agreed. Trunks looked at his friend with a disappointed expression. "Which is why I will accompany him to settle this matter," he added, causing Trunks' face to revert back to a smirk.

"Ugh, you men and your 'macho' complex. Fine then Trunks, go ahead and get yourself killed if you want to but at least try to rest up!" She commanded.

* * *

The twins returned to Gero's lab, their outfits ripped and their egos bruised. They quickly slid down to the basement, approaching the three unopened test pods.

"Let's do it," Android 17 began.

"I don't know if this is a good idea. What if they turn on us?" Android 18 asked.

"You're such a weirdo sis, first you whined about Gohan being dead and now your complaining about having strong fighters around. Pick a stance already," Android 17 lectured, his fingers swiftly sliding between the buttons on each pod in order to activate their sleeping family members.

Android 18 backed away as their eyes lit up and they all stepped out.

To the far left stood a buff man with baggy green pants and a yellow vest with no shirt underneath, sporting a baseball cap on top of his head, flipped towards his back and displaying the Red Ribbon Army logo, that rested over his shoulder-length straight white hair. This was Android 13.

Next one up was Android 14, an even taller figure with bulky muscles and completely silver skin. His hair was black and braided and he had a green skirt wrap around his legs.

Finally was Android 15, the most weirdly designed of the threesome. He was an extremely short purple skinned man who wore a giant oval-shaped green hat with a red ball standing on it. He dressed with a black and white tuxedo and a dark yellow and blue overcoat resting over it. Around his neck was a red bow tie showing off the Red Ribbon logo.

Android 17 turned to his sister and smiled, ushering her forth with a wave of his hand. "So, we're Android s 17 and 18 and we basically rule this world. We wanted to know if you're cool with joining us?"

Android 17 smirked as though he knew the response already and his sister did the opposite, moving far away, for the same reason as he.

"How 'bout," Android 13 began, "you get lost!" He shouted as he swiped his brother away, a fast slap across the face leaving the Android crashing into the side of the mountain and no longer moving. He turned to Android 18 and before she could run, he was already upon her. He pulled at her by her hair and punched her in the chest several times before she collapsed from the pain.

"You ain't no Androids, I can see the same pathetic humanity in you that we were programmed to destroy." The Android began to form a large orb of ki in one hand before stopping entirely, instead glancing up and letting his blast dissipate. "That's way too quick for our first fight, wouldn't you say so boys?" Android 13 asked his newly-awakened family. Neither of them spoke, instead appearing right besides Androids 17 and 18 and picking them up, only to twirl them around and release them upwards, crashing though the mountain and into the sky. "That'll do, won't it boys?" Android 13 asked the other two who silently nodded.

"Screw you!" Android 17 yelled as he fired off a blast targeted at Android 13's head. A blurred flash moved to intercept, canceling out the attack. Android 17 stepped back as he saw that said flash was actually Android 14, who began approaching him and raising his arm up in the air. "D-Do-Don't think you can ju-"

Android 14's fist hammered down onto Android 17's head, crushing him into the floor below before being kicked to the side. Before Android 17 could react, Android 15 crashed down onto him, grabbing the back of the Android's head and scrapping it against the floor before finishing his assault by stepping firmly on his head.

"Now I hope y'all understand this peckin' order now," Android 13 said as he walked over and knelt by Android 18. He grabbed her by the head and lifted her up, looking straight into her eyes. "We're the actual Androids, you're just a couple of little kids playin' at it. So if you wanna live, you'll follow what I say." Android 13 explained, releasing his hold on her head and stepping over her, Androids 14 and 15 close behind him. "The two of you'll follow us now."

The three moved to the entrance of the lab, looking out into the outside world from the mountain they were hidden in. Behind them limped Androids 17 and 18. Android 13's face twisted into a grin from ear to ear. "This world is magnificent!" He raised his arm up and fired off a ki blast that blew up the mountains in front of them, leaving it a smoldering mess. "Bet it'll be even better when it burns!" Android 13 cackled, charging off into the distant in search of a new target, the other four close behind him.

Androids 17 and 18 glanced at each other, both wearing faces of absolute terror. They had always been the strongest but as of today, they now knew the feelings of everyone they had ever killed: Powerless.

* * *

_That's right guys, Androids 13, 14 and 15 are here to change everything! And while Trunks and Android 16 are strong enough to manage 17 and 18 just fine, how are they going to hold up against three more threats? We're narrowing down to the end of this saga so all will be revealed shortly._

* * *

**Q&amp;A:**

**Q:** _This story is pretty good! I admit I never saw a story like this one before. When will Gohan meet up back with Bulma and Trunks? Will it be soon or much later?_

**A: **_First, thanks for the compliments, I've been very pleased with the reception so far. As for when Gohan will reunite with his friends, he is returning to Earth soon so it's possible._

* * *

_See you guys next week for a whole new chapter! It'll be easier to write in the next few weeks because it'll be Summer break which will leave more time to write for this. Don't forget to leave a review, that way we can finally have a longer Q&amp;A. Honestly, it's like there's either one question or none for each chapter. Anyways, next chapter will be here soon._


	9. Chapter 8: For Gohan

**Chapter 8: For Gohan**

* * *

_So I decided to release this chapter early because a) I'm busy a lot for the rest of this week and b) I want to. So yeah...there's that. Also, it's awesome to think that this chapter is my longest yet by 1000 words. I had a lot of fun with it so I hope you enjoy it._

* * *

"You know I have to go," Trunks told his mother as he tried comforting her with a hand on her shoulder. She placed her own on top of his, holding it there as though it would keep them in that moment forever.

"I know," Bulma conceded. "And that's why I'll help the only way I can, with this." She pulled a capsule out of her pocket and clicked on it, throwing to the side and letting a giant case appear out of it. She approached it and opened the case, pulling out of it a suit of Saiyan armor. "This was the armor your father wore in his fights. I remember him always demanding new ones." She sighed before continuing. "Honestly, that man was so ridiculous, always throwing around that he was 'the prince of all Saiyans' every conversation."

The armor contained a blue jump suit with the armor piece a plain white, containing yellow straps meant to rest on the shoulders. Alongside the outfit were a pair of white gloves and boots with the same color and yellow wrapped around its tips.

Trunks accepted the armor and began to change into it, stepping into the blue body suit and strapping on the armor that wrapped around his shoulders. Finally, he added the finishing touches by tugging on his gloves and boots to put them in place and began to examine the look. "I like it. It feels very 'warrior-esque' if you know what I mean."

"I do son," his mother nodded. "Looking at you now, Gohan would be proud of you. It what's been only one month you've reached a whole new level of strength," she added.

"Well, one month for you, practically a full year for me," Trunks chuckled, scratching his now much longer hair. "You ready big guy?" Trunks indicated to Sixteen, who had just entered the house.

"I do believe so. Korin said we should go to the 'Lookout' in order to better determine the Androids location." Sixteen stated.

"Right, better get going," Trunks said before running out of the house and flying off at top speed, eager to liberate his world.

"Hurry up Sixteen, he's not exactly one to sit around," Bulma informed as Sixteen flew off after his friend.

Bulma returned to the kitchen and sat down in a chair, holding up another one of the Saiyan uniforms. _Vegeta...please protect our son..._She cried into the suit, now alone to feel the panic of losing another loved one to the Androids.

* * *

"Hmmm...let's see here," Korin mumbled to himself as he searched around the Earth for signs of the Androids.

Suddenly he felt a spike of ki, followed by four more. The blasts continued in that pattern, five attacks alerting Korin, rather than the usual two he'd sense when working with Gohan.

"Be careful," he warned the two fighters. "It's seems the duo is especially agitated today, they're firing off a lot of energy compared to the usual. That could mean they're in a densely populated area, I'd go now. They're north of here, just fly straight and I'm sure you'll spot them."

Without further push, both Trunks and Sixteen sailed off through the clouds in the dictated direction, ready to end the nightmare.

"Do you think they can do what Gohan and the others failed to?" Mr. Popo asked his friend.

"I hope so." The old cat replied.

* * *

"Sixteen, can you really say that you're fine destroying the Androids? They're your family, in a sense." Trunks said.

"There's no simple way to answer that. I consider them a part of the lives I want to protect. Yet I cannot protect those other lives if theirs are intact. It is quite the dilemma to be faced with." Sixteen replied, his voice somehow more emotionless than usual.

"I guess we'll have to make the call once we've beaten them," Trunks proposed.

Sixteen looked back at his friend, surprised by his willingness to consider an option other than killing the Androids. "While I'm pleased by your open-mindedness, why aren't you more insistent on killing the two? I thought with everything that-"

"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber may have put me through almost a year of Hell but it did give me two things: power and awareness. I neglected to see their roles as victims of Dr. Gero's programming." The boy replied. It was true, he had thought about his interaction with the two illusions. Deep down, despite his hatred for what they did for his master, he wanted to make something out of all the suffering. He wanted to be able to see that out of the deaths came something positive. "But for now, let's just focus on stopping them!" Trunks yelled as he suddenly rocketed through the sky, forcing Sixteen to exert more force to keep up with the eager warrior.

Across the sky they became mere blurs with the speeds at which they moved, letting all the refugees looking across the sky believe they were witnessing a miracle. Perhaps they were, the miracle of their saviors finally appearing to relieve them of the Hell the Androids made.

* * *

"Man, this is boring," Android 13 groaned to his family. "Killing 'em one at a time seems kinda pointless, don't ya think?" he asked.

"These two don't seem to understand how to have real fun," Android 15 added as he looked over at Androids 17 and 18. The two quivered at the gesture, still timid from the beat down the trio had given them only a day before. 15 quickly turned away however at the sight of a woman and her daughter running away, his finger tips firing off two ki blasts that they barely moved out of the way of as they slid down and used a nearby building as shelter.

"Cute," Android 13 said as he sliced through the building with a wave of his hand. He signaled for 14 to approach the two and finish the job. The seemingly-mute Android strolled over to the other side of the broken construct and descended in front of them, staring straight at the frightened duo. He raised his hand casually and began to gather a wave of energy in it, preparing to kill the two.

"Get away from them!" A voice shouted from above as Trunks' foot crashed straight into the machine's shoulder, arcing 14's arm up and sending the blast towards the sky, out of harm's way. "Run now!" Trunks ordered the scared woman and child who complied right away. The half-Saiyan scanned across the area. _Who are these new three? There're supposed to be only two Androids. What is going on?_

Sixteen quickly descended beside him, his eyes with an almost humanistic fire burning in them. "Hello my brothers, I assume. I am-"

"Obsolete!" 13 interrupted, laughing loudly at his insult. "You got a screw loose, tin can? Why are you over by the endangered species when you should be over with the hunters?"

"As I was trying to say," He responded, ignoring 13's jabs. "I am Android Model #16, but I go by 'Sixteen' now." The comment got a rise out of the Androids.

"Why are you droppin' the 'Android' part? You get all attached to your precious humans?" 13 teased.

"I woke up into a hellish world that I intend to correct immediately. Trunks, together now!" Sixteen shouted, charging at 13 with his friend close behind, ascending into a Super Saiyan seamlessly.

"Don't get too 'heroic' on me now," 13 chuckled. "Go get him kids!" He commanded at 17 and 18, who stood frozen in place. "Ah damn, the little brats got cold feet. Real shame," he mumbled before firing off a ki blast at the two, sending them far away into a nearby building where they were buried in rubble. "Back me up brothers!" He yelled to 14 and 15, who immediately complied. 14 swooped in to intercept Sixteen, swinging his fist at the pacifist and causing him to fly backwards. 14 did not let up on the assault however, moving to continue his advantage by dashing towards his brother and planting his open palm on Sixteen's chest before pressing down on him and firing a ki blast that pushed him deep into the Earth and formed a crater.

Caught up by the sneak attack, Trunks barely had time to respond to the energy barrage thrown at him by 15 by dashing to the right. 15 anticipated this though, quickly moving behind the Saiyan and tossing a punch that struck him square in the jaw. He followed up with a flurry of hits that kept Trunks stepping farther and farther back before 15 became cocky and slipped up, dedicating too much time towards a finishing move that allowed Trunks to swoop to the left and grapple onto 15's wrist before he threw the Android up into the air and began charging up an energy blast.

"This is your end Android!" Trunks yelled as a blast of ki shot up into the air and left the Android covered in smoke. Before he could follow up, Trunks was struck from behind by a punch thrown by 14. The hit left him tripping over himself until he dodge rolled back into a balanced fighting pose. "You cheap-" he began before 15 came crashing down on top of him, striking his neck with a quick chop from his tiny foot that was followed by a charged ball of ki that shot Trunks into a nearby building.

Trunks shook himself off and flew out of a nearby window, searching around for his enemies. He looked to see 13 smiling and remaining in his initial position, unmoved, while the other two were nowhere in sight. "Surprise!" yelled 15 as his head, more specifically his overly-large hat, crashed into Trunks back and sent him spiraling down to be met by a punch in the gut from 14.

The Saiyan stumbled along before he charged up more of his ki into his Super Saiyan form and launched his counterattack. He swiftly evaporated into thin air, leaving 15 confused as to where the Saiyan was until a kick from above dealt straight to his head provided some answers. 14 attempted to aid his brother by launching himself at Trunks to catch him off-guard, unaware that the attack was expected as his opponent stretched his arms out, all the while shouting 'Burning Attack' at his foe. 14 found himself consumed by a blast that was almost like a miniature sun, carrying him deep into the Earth where the attack erupted into a ball of flame which the Android withstood with his wrists now displaying wire and machinery underneath the tattered skin. He intended to wait for an opening before hearing a sound.

"Hello there," he heard as he turned to see Sixteen's fist collide with his chin, providing an uppercut that sent him tunneling back onto solid ground. Sixteen rose out of the hole formed by Trunks' attack and continued with the advantage, ramming his shoulder into 14's 'spine' and causing the Android to finally make some noise that seemed to be a pained screech. Ignoring this, Sixteen rose off the ground and slammed his feet into 14's chest, planting his brother deep within the ground as a crater appeared to match the one made for him earlier.

Seeing that they were pairing off, Trunks charged at 15 and began to throw a flurry of punches that mirrored the same intensity as the one he had been forced to endure just minutes ago. Seeing 15 stunned, he interlocked his fingers and smashed them over the Android's hat, providing a loud breaking sound that caused the hat adorn by the machine to shatter and reveal the machinery buried beneath. "Huh," Trunks began. "Nice hair." he mused, riling up 15 and making his movements sloppy, allowing the Saiyan to easily plant several punches across his cheek and into his gut before stepping back to fire off his own barrage of ki that carried the enemy what looked like miles across the Earth. "Have I really improved this much?" Trunks asked himself aloud as he moved to continue his attack on 15.

Out of the nearby rubble rose 17 and 18, who kept hidden and silently observed the fight. _Is that the little pipsqueak who was with Gohan? _18 wondered as she watched someone who just a year ago was like an insect to her overwhelm a foe out of her league.

Trunks swiftly appeared behind 15, grabbing his coat and swinging back in the direction he came as though he was playing catch with himself. The pattern continued as he moved alongside the flying machine, slapping it down with a wave of his hand and leaving the Android battered into the ground. He descended quickly onto the ground, commanding the fallen robot to stand up and continue. "I'm so tired of your kind, always destroying whatever I care about. Well that ends now," he began as he powered up even more, moving in front of 15 and tugging onto the machine's arms. Before he could dislocate them, he felt his chest burn and looked down to see an orb of energy sent by 14 strike him straight in the gut and carry him off into the distance. He eventually shot away but not before 15 appeared behind him and smacked him into the ground.

"You thought you were some tough stuff hot shot? Let me tell you something. I just woke up yesterday, might as well say that was when I was born. Yet I still know you can't win." 15 declared, confident in his abilities.

Trunks stood up, his hands shaking for a few seconds before he steeled his resolve. "Shut up with your stupid taunts. I don't need to listen to your crap anymore Android! Today, my world will be free of your kind forever!" He announced as he lunged forward, doing a flip forward and pressing off the ground in order to send a spinning kick to the Android's face. 15 slid across the dirt, his shoes now ruined by it. Trunks moved into his fighting pose, his hand constantly coiling back as if to say 'let's go' in a manner that provoked the Android.

"You're dead!" 15 shouted as he flung himself towards his opponent. The two crashed into each other, trading blows until they jumped away and began to charge up their ki into concentrated balls of energy. "Murder Ball!" 15 shouted, releasing his attack at the Saiyan.

"Buster Cannon!" Trunks screamed, his attack overwhelming the other's and causing 15 to be blasted away in a blur of smoke. "'Murder Ball', seriously?" Trunks taunted. "Kind of a misleading name, wouldn't you say?"

"Grrr..." The Android growled, wires exposed in his cranial area. He shot up in the air, hovering over the city's wreckage. He pulled his hands to the side, forming a giant ball of energy that was a clear white and surrounded by rings of energy that twirled around its massive size. The enormous ball cast a shadow over the land, the already battered buildings seeming to face the end of life itself.

17 and 18 stared at the ball as though it was death itself. To them, unable to detect energy with the parameters given by Gero, the ball was the strongest attack they had ever seen. 18 looked over to 13, standing still with his arms folded over his chest and an expression of disappointment on his face. _How can he look like that when such a massive attack is in front of us? How much stronger is he?_ She wondered, mystified by the Android's overwhelming presence. Her eyes dashed to the other side of the field where a young man with spiky blond hair stood on the floor with his arms at his side. _Has he given up? It makes sense, no human could-_

Trunks' arms shot up into the air and a large orb of energy formed around his body, a golden circle of ki shrouding him from 18's eyes. "This is the end of you, Android!" Trunks yelled out as the blast rocketed straight up into the air, surprising 15 and causing him to fire his own blast as a countermeasure. His orb of energy became surrounded in the long strand of gold that soon began to dilute its white coloration, perverting the ball and twisting its energy into a part of the blast.

"What?" 15 shouted, the Android just now feeling the sensations humans called 'fear'. His body was swallowed up in the blast, his weakened state falling from the grounds onto the roof of a nearby building which he tunneled through until his 'spine' smashed into the basement floor. Delirious, he looked to see his right arm dangling at his side, now so damaged that a single strike directly at it would shatter the frail limb.

Trunks soon landed safely on the floor beside the machinery, his eyes filled with rage. "I hate you Androids so much, you have no idea. I grew up in a world where all I cared about was taken from me and your kind reveled at that fact. You just kept taking more and more from me," he paused, extending his right arm out and keeping his palm flat, "It's time I collected your debts." He started gathering energy around his arm, ready to completely annihilate 15. But luck was on the Android's side in that moment.

15 looked to see a tall figure behind Trunks. Android 13 quickly grabbed Trunks' right arm and twisted behind his back, where 13 pulled at it until the boy screeched out in pain. Losing interest, 13 tossed him out of the hole 15 had made colliding with the building and fired off a red beam that burned Trunks' entire essence, causing him to drift down from the sky and collapse onto the dirt.

"Dammit..." Trunks muttered as he tried to get up, before 13 smashed his boot against the Saiyan's spine. The blow caused the boy's emerald pupils to become pure white and expression to leave his face alongside his golden aura, the hair dropping down to its natural purple color, as he passed out.

18 stood up, her entire body shaking as she stared at the wounded kid in front of her. Some gear inside her mind had begun unwinding itself as she glared at him. Was it compassion that was motivating her at that moment? She wouldn't be able to answer that question as she charged at 13, screaming her lungs out with a primal aggression. She threw punch after punch at the tall man's unwavering body, striking at his heart, neck, even between the legs, without seeing any sort of reaction. Finally the Android turned in her direction, his eyes carrying an expression of indifference. Without a word he grabbed her by the face, her screams muffled by his large brown gloves as a blast of red ki began to form in that same hand. _Oh no, he's going to kill me, he's going to kill me, he's going to-_

"Get away from her!" 17 yelled as he lunged at 13's backside, dishing out punches and kicks with an anger he had never felt before. He tried to make all of his strikes fatal wounds, attempting to penetrate the Android's armor before realizing the inevitability of it all. Comprehending the hopelessness of the scenario, 17's knees dropped to the ground as he awaited death. "Why didn't we make something of our lives," he muttered, Gohan's words finally hitting their mark as he despaired.

* * *

_Years ago in battle with the Androids..._

"You don't have to do this!" a young Gohan shouted at the pair. "You don't have any reason to destroy! Make real lives for yourself rather than living in this nightmare. Gero did horrible things to you two, you don't have to follow his programming!" He pleaded.

17 easily kicked the half-Saiyan up into the air and began knocking him back and forth between his sister and himself as though Gohan was a toy of some sort. "This is a 'real life' to us. We're following our orders, what's the problem with that?" 17 argued.

18 grabbed the bloody mess that was the last Z-Fighter and threw him against the Earth itself, the warrior's face scrapping against the destroyed city's pavement. The two then began their regular finale for these fights: Rapid fire. They shot of waves of ki that buried the city in smoke, forcing Gohan to drag himself away in defeat.

* * *

"He was right all along 18, this life was pointless. Now I can see what you meant," he said looking at 13. "We really were...are human. We just couldn't overcome the damn programming!" He smashed his fist into the ground in rage. With a snap of his fingers, 13 sent 17 flying miles away.

"Sorry 'bout the distraction hon, where were we?" 13 teased as his grip on her jaw tightened, forcing 18's muffled voice to rise as she now felt the same pain she watched her brother inflict on others.

She felt the ki begin burning her face and she squirmed in pain, fighting against the Android's grip to no avail. "Mmph!" She defiantly yelled, kicking against his elbow in hopes it would loosen his hold.

"Say Goodnight!" 13 yelled as he prepared to fire the blast, only to have an unexpected punch to the side of his head cause him to release 18 and fire his ki off in a random direction. 13 stumbled back to see the figure standing before him: A Super Saiyan Trunks.

"You caught me by surprise before, let's see what you can do in a fair fight!" Trunks yelled as his fist collided with the Android's, a loud burst of sound formed as a result.

* * *

Sixteen continued his fight with 14, the two crashing into each other and throwing punches of nearly equal magnitude, Sixteen being the more powerful Android. "Brother, escape your programming and stop this!" Sixteen begged. 14 did not answer, or rather did not answer with words, as a fist smashed into Sixteen's chest and forced him up off his feet before 14 spun around and kicked his brother square in the chest. Sixteen felt his body be pressed back but refused to give in. As he saw 14 charge at him, he knew the fight had become to the death. He was willing to do what was necessary now.

"Rocket Punch!" Sixteen yelled, firing his left fist off its arm and letting it crash straight into 14's jaw, stunning the emotionless machine. Pressing on with his advantage, Sixteen grabbed his separated limb and strapped it back onto his fist before wrapping himself onto his brother and crashing into the ground alongside him. He quickly released before making contact, letting 14 take the entire brunt of the collision. Sixteen stared down as a new crater was created.

Sixteen descended beside the crater, looking within it to see 14 standing up, his left leg now battered and in a frail state. The Android rose out of the ground without a sound and landed next to his opponent. It was then that 14 finally said something. "I am Android model #14."

The two stared at each other for some time before Sixteen finally accepted the words. "I understand, and I am Sixteen." The two clashed with each other again, their hands interlocking as they both pressed with seemingly matched forces, pushing against the ground to overpower the other. For a while they stayed like that, neither able to take the offensive.

It was at this time that the full weight of 14's broken leg took effect as it shattered entirely, leaving the Android with one less limb and overwhelmed by Sixteen's aggression. 14's body was twisted as it was forcefully pressed deeper into the Earth before Sixteen lifted him up into the air and kneed him in what would of been a spine, topping it all off by throwing his brother into the Earth itself. The stronger Android began to remove his fists, revealing the weaponized arms that were hidden as he gathered energy inside them. Finally sensing his attack was ready, the Android yelled out his attack.

"Hell's Flash!"

14 could not see or feel anything but as it lay in the darkness of the hole Sixteen had made, it understood one thing without any use for data. It knew as soon as it heard Sixteen yell out his attack. 14 knew that it had lost.

A large blast shot straight down into the hole, consuming the blast and beginning to light up the darkness of the hole Sixteen had made. The Android watched on from above as his creation began to explode within the Earth, smoke rising out of the hole and alongside it, the broken remains of 14. Sixteen walked towards it and looked down on his brother. "Forgive me," he whispered to the corpse before turning back to the battlefield.

* * *

"Raah!" Trunks yelled as he swung a kick to 13's side, an attack that seemed futile as 13 used his shoulder to block the strike and pushed it away. The two had been fighting at insurmountable speeds to the on-looker that was Android 18. "How can he...?" 18 whispered aloud, knowing no one was there to answer her. At that moment Android 15 descended in front of her, cutting off her view of the fight and frightening her. 18 stepped back out of cowardice, a useless effort as 15 quickly lunged at her and punched her into a nearby building with his left arm, the reliable one, before he moved inside the building with a sinister expression.

* * *

"Ugh..." 18 groaned as she finally stopped moving, her back engraved into a staircase. She stood up and shook herself off, preparing for 15's assault to continue. A shadow slid across the room, alerting 18. She spun a kick to the side, striking 15 hard in the neck before he could go in for another hit.

15 tripped across the floor before pushing his feet off the nearby wall and propelling his head forward, bashing the hard metal into 18's chest and causing her to gasp out. The force of the blow dragged her boots across the tiles, scrapping the ground and pressing her against the concrete wall behind her. She groaned as 15's attack continued its intensity, causing 18 to feel pain overcome her mind.

_Dammit...I just started to find myself..._she thought, the idea of losing that freedom terrifying her. 18's hands wrapped around 15's cranial region as she pulled the android away from her and spun him around, his body losing control of itself as she manipulated his strength against him and forced him to smash against the ground. Seeing the opportunity, 18 punched 15 as hard as she could, further stunning him. She raised her left foot up before smashing the heel into 15's head, causing the head guard to shatter and the glass to scatter into the lining that connected the tiles.

She attempted to throw another punch into her foe but as she threw it, 15 swiftly pressed away with the last of his reserves, disappearing from his position. 18 turned around to see herself alone in the building. "Where are you hiding?" She wondered, her answer provided in the form of a ki blast shooting her in the back. She turned to return fire but once again could not see 15. She groaned with annoyance and began to rely on the enhanced senses Gero provided her. Closing her eyes, she focused on sound. _He won't be breathing. Listen for the sound of his smug feet moving across the floor. Dammit...Gohan made it look easy when he did this whole 'senses' thing. I can't do this. I'm not in tune with nature. I'm a monster. Monster...Monster...She listened to her a tiny noise emit across a tile. _"Screw this!" 18 yelled out as she grabbed hold of the striking 15's fist, coiling her hand around it and overpowering the hit. 15 attempted to shake himself away from her but was unable to. Instead, he watched as she used her free hand to tear off his broken arm, leaving wires exposed and oil leaking out of his shoulder.

"I-y-you...h-how can you-" 15 stuttered as his mind failed to comprehend what he was seeing. He couldn't understand how she was stronger than him now when they had been vastly superior just a day before.

"You must be confused," 18 assumed as she strolled over to the dismembered android. "Truthfully I think you are stronger than me. You spent all that time in the basement being fitted to destroy. But that's just it, isn't it? You're worn out from down in there. I realized that when I listened for your surprise attack and heard this." She bent down to pick up a tiny object off the floor, a small screw. "You're not properly put together and without 'Doctor Gero' to make sure you're all good, you're falling apart. Maybe it was the fight with the other guy that made it happen. Maybe it was you moving around too much. Perhaps it was even just dumb luck. But regardless, you lose."

18 pointed her index finger towards 15 and began forming a tiny ball of ki into it. "Goodbye," she finished as a finger pierced through the Android's head and his body lit up in flames. He wheezed in pain and collapsed to the floor, leaving 18 alone with her thoughts. _I lived all these years killing people. How could I do that? How could I let myself become a mindless machine?_ Her knees collapsed onto the ground and she covered her face in her hands, releasing a deafening wail. _Gohan, I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry...She heard his final screams echo in her head over and over again. I'm so sorry...I'll fix this...for you Gohan._

* * *

Moori waved his hands up in the air, a Namekian chant peeling away the grey stone to reveal the orange orbs underneath. Each one was the size of the Elder's head and were marked with small red stars, the amount ranging from one to seven on each. Each glowed a bright hue that indicated Porunga, the Namekian Dragon, was about to rise.

Moments passed and Moori's 'brows' squinted to express confusion. "Oh my," he muttered.

"What is it?" Gohan asked the man, worried by his friend's comment.

"It seems that Porunga is not ready to wake up," Moori said, his voice weakened by his concerns. "I suppose several years 'asleep' has left him too weak to respond to our summon. It will take some time before he can grant our wishes and I fear even longer before he's able to grant more than one." His words carried with it a dark message.

"Alright," Gohan mumbled, his answer barely audible as a lump formed in his throat. Even after all this time, he was still faced with failure. He wouldn't be able to fix the damage at the moment. He might never be able to.

Supreme Kai and Kibito stepped to his side and offered expressions of reassurance, attempting to push away the Saiyan's fears. "Gohan," Supreme Kai began. "It's time for you to go home." With those words the three vanished off the planet, Gohan waving a final goodbye to Moori beforehand.

* * *

In a mere second, the trio had arrived back on Earth after transporting from Namek. Gohan stepped away from the Kais and looked around his planet, taking in a deep breath as he felt himself readjust to his home world.

"It's been some time," he muttered. Over the course of a month he had nearly died, traveled to the land of the dead and defeated a recreation of a galactic dictator. Now his challenge seemed somewhat simplistic, something that pleased him. It was just _kill the Androids_ but that was all he needed.

He turned to his two allies. "I think I'll be fine on my own from here," he stated. The two looked shocked at first but quickly smiled to express approval. "I just think that this is something I have to finish by myself guys. I need to end the threat of the Androids. It's sort of my duty for this world." With that he placed his fingers on his forehead and his image began to fade away into nothingness.

"If the Androids don't have any ki, how is able to use Instant Transmission to locate them?" Supreme Kai asked.

Kibito shifted uncomfortably, realizing that it wasn't Instant Transmission just now. "Sir, I think he just used 'Instantaneous Movement'." Kibito replied.

Supreme Kai sighed and shook his head. "Of course he did. That boy is the greatest prodigy I've ever seen."

* * *

Trunks felt his entire body fall over as another of Android 13's punches slid across his cheek, forcing the Super Saiyan to tumble over. He breathed heavily, fatigued by his earlier fight with 15 that day. Entirely numb, he stood up off the ground and dusted himself off. 13 began approaching Trunks, his arms held at his side. It was clear to him that this particular Android was out of his league. _But still..._ "I have to try!"

He jetted at the Android, his left fist held back as his foot crashed into the ground and twisted, his body turning to the right and the punch coming forward, striking 13 in his chest. Trunks felt the interior compact before the blow, his fist recoiled to reveal the broken machinery beneath the exterior. "How do you like that?" Trunks taunted, fully aware of the insignificance of the damage. 13 was wounded but not fatally, at least for an Android, meanwhile Trunks felt his golden ki leave him and his body crumble to the floor.

"Y'know, you're really startin' ta piss me off!" The Android shouted as he kicked Trunks into the air, rushing him with a blow to the chest from his knee. The Saiyan winced in pain as another hit met its target, followed by more and more. His lip was bloody and gashes ran all across his body. Satisfied with the thorough beat down, 13 picked Trunks up by his collar and with the other hand fired of a ki blast that sent the Saiyan crashing into a nearby building and incidentally Android 18 too.

18 ceased her crying and tended to the wounded fighter, looking him over for bruises. "Get...off," Trunks commanded, his disdain for her still showing. She ignored his requests and rested him against a wall.

"I'm sorry for what I've done. I wish I could deny my role in it and blame my actions on Dr. Gero's programming but maybe it is my fault this all happened. I don't know what to say. But..." she paused, looking back at the injured man, "I know I want to fight to stop that Android." She flew straight for Android 13, rapidly firing off several ki blasts in hopes it would give her an advantage. She disappeared from his view as she moved behind him, striking at the back of his neck with a well angled kick.

She froze in the air, waiting for 13 to display some sign of being harmed. Instead, she realized the uselessness of the effort when he reached over and grabbed her by the foot, flinging her onto the floor and stepping over her with the sole of his boot. "Stop...gettin'...in my way!" The Android yelled, his voice now quivering with rage born from annoyance.

He "felt" a punch to the side of his head, glancing to the right to see 17's fist planted in his cheek. "Oh, you're still alive?" 13 taunted, grabbing 17 by the front of his shirt and planting him in the ground beside his sister, pressing his other boot firmly onto his face. "Now then, how 'bout we finish this dance?" He laughed, spreading his hands apart and forming a large red ball of energy in-between them. The two looked on in panic as they saw its power grow in intensity, now the size of 13's body. He pushed off them and fired off his attack. "S.S. Deadly Bomber!" He shouted, the giant red ball consuming the two in its brilliance. The Earth shook as the Android's ki collided with its surface, burning through the first layer before succumbing to the planet's thick exterior. Android 13 smiled at his handiwork. "Heh," he mumbled as he descended onto the ground to admire the hole he made more closely. "Hello!" She yelled into it, laughing hysterically as an echo repeated his word. "Well, time to finish off the brat," he began as he turned his view back towards the building he had sent Trunks flying through.

To his surprise, Sixteen stood before him, holding 17 and 18 in his arms. He placed them both on the ground, calling for Trunks to attend to them. "Follow me," he requested, moving away from the injured towards a less damaged part of the city. "I tried to reason with our brother, Android Model #14, but failed to get him to stop this senseless violence. I suspect speaking to you would only yield similar results." Sixteen stated.

"Right ya are, rust-bucket!" 13 taunted as he swung straight at Sixteen's head, both surprising him and causing him to lose his balance. The Android smiled at the sight, taking the chance to bring his right leg up and kick Sixteen to the side, his foot overpowering the Android's left side. Sixteen spun to the edge of a building and pushed off it, firing his left arm at 13.

"Rocket Punch!"

13 quickly turned to the side, grabbing the accelerating cannon that was Sixteen's fist and spinning around with it, turning the attack back on its master and pushing him farther back as the hit collided with his chest. He re-attached the mechanical limb before glancing up to see 13 standing in the same spot, his index finger extended and moving back in 13's direction. "Come at me", it taunted Sixteen. Infuriated by the gesture, he did so and found himself once again outmatched by his brother, who side-stepped every strike as though it was in slow-motion. To 13, perhaps it was. Growing tired of the charade, 13 finally made a strike of his own, kneeing Sixteen's face as another punch missed its target. He continued with the assault, grabbing Sixteen's spiky red hair and throwing him far away. Sixteen felt his body drift with the wind before eventually finding footing and halting his slide. By that time 13 was already in front of him, disappearing as Sixteen attempted a head butt and, with both hands' fingers interlocked, knocking him away from behind, sending him back into the city.

Sixteen tripped over himself, crashing into a building's window and feeling the glass pour over his body.

It was at this time that 13 returned to the city, eager to 'reunite' with his newest toy. He landed before Sixteen, chuckling at the sight of the worn down Android. "Get up," 13 commanded. No response. "Get up!" He ordered again, this time screaming it. Sixteen looked back up to him, part of his head broken off, revealing his robotic brain. The Android leaned against the building, using it for support for his injured structure. "That's better," 13 muttered. He fired off a relatively small energy blast that shot him away, leaving the machine alone with his thoughts.

Sixteen landed on the other side of the building, beside Trunks and the Androids. "Sixteen," the man yelled, running to his friend and coming to his aid.

"You need to leave," Sixteen ordered. "He's too strong. I need you to go. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to-"

"Stop it Sixteen, we can do this. The two of us together can stop him." Trunks said, his confidence sounding like denial to the Android.

"No, we cannot. I want you to grab the other two and escape from here. I understand your hatred of them but they have just broken free of the programming, they do not deserve to die here. Please." he begged his friend.

"You take them!" Trunks shouted, turning Super Saiyan as he saw 13 emerge before them. With all the might he could muster, the fighter began charging a ki blast. _This...is for Gohan!_ "Masenko!" He shouted, firing off a yellow beam of energy that consumed the Android and dragged him through the ruined city. _It's...working!_ He thought hopefully.

13 felt the blast press against him, burning off some of his skin. Finally, he found himself against a wall and relied on it to provide him leverage, slipping underneath the blast and kicking it into the air. The sight caused both Trunks and Sixteen to lose all hope as the Super Saiyan powered back to his base form and fell forward, losing consciousness.

A large red glow formed across 13's palm as he walked forward, reading to kill Trunks. Sixteen stared at him, ready to intercept the blast. This was it for them, they knew that they had lost the fight. The brightness of the crimson blast blinded him and the Android realized that the attack was intended for them all. "T'chao!" 13 yelled, firing off the blast.

Sixteen flinched, closing his eyes as he waited for his inevitable demise. There was nothing. Slowly, he raised his eye lids to see a bizarre sight. Before him stood 13, holding his chest and stumbling back. Across it ran a diagonal slash. In front of that stood a man in an orange gi, a sword held in his hands and pointed at the ground as though it had just been swung down. This is...Goku?

13 jumped back, yelling profanity at the new combatant. "What in the hell is your deal, Scarface!?"

The man recoiled the sword back into his scabbard and ascended into a Super Saiyan. "My name is Son Gohan, the warrior who will destroy you!"

* * *

_That's right ladies and gentlemen, the two sub-plots have finally converged with the main story! Now we've got Gohan back to basics, fighting off the Androids. On a side note, how'd you guys like my writing of the Androids in this chapter. Many of you said in your reviews that it was looking bad for 17 and 18, some even pointing out it was karma, so hopefully you liked my redemption for the duo. It's something that DBM has brought up so I wanted to deal with it too, the idea that the future Androids are just like the present time ones but failed to overcome/escape Dr. Gero's programming._

_Alright, time for the Q&amp;A_

* * *

**Q&amp;A**

**Q: **_I think that Gohan can take 13 one vs one, but what happens when it becomes Super Android 13? I see where you are going with this. Also I wonder what wishes will be granted by the dragonballs. And won't the people on Earth be shocked when things to start to repair themselves._

_I also don't think that 13,14 and 15 are that much stronger than 17 and 18. Granted the movie doesn't fit anywhere into the DBZ timeline, but Gohan not being a Super Saiyan seems to show that if it did, it would be pre HTC. 14 and 15 went done easily enough in the movie._

_Still it is your story, and you can change things as you see fit._

**A: **_What will happen when Android 13 turns Super 13 indeed? That is to say even if I go that route. Who knows. As for the wishes, it looks like we won't confront that right away given that they're not ready yet. The movie fitting into the DBZ timeline is a tough thing to work with so I understand why many were complaining about it but I guess this is where I put some influence into the whole 'power levels' idea._

**Q: **_How are 13,14 and 15 able to hold a candle to 17 and 18? They could barely handle regular super saiyans in the movie._

**A: **_Meh, same answer as before basically._

**Q:** _Looks like 17 and 18 have their hands tied on this one! Is Gohan going to come down and destroy all the Androids (except for 16 obviously) single-handedly or is going to need help from Trunks and 16?_

**A: **_Given what happened to 14 and 15 in this chapter, we can safely say that Gohan won't destroy all the Androids. The second part of the question will be answered later on by the story. Plus, I don't have anything witty to say about it._

* * *

_See you guys next week for an all new chapter and don't forget to leave a review with your thoughts on the series!_


	10. Chapter 9: An Unlucky Number

**Chapter 9: An Unlucky Number**

* * *

_Alright, so Elephant in the room, I left this project for five months. For that, I apologize. It's not that I wanted to quit but it became my last summer at home before college and while I was thinking of this project, I sort of just put it to the side. I do plan to complete this but I can no longer guarantee weekly updates due to not wanting to rush it and being busy with work and other projects I'm doing other than this fanfiction. That being said, I think that because this is my last month of the semester I'm likely to just work on this and class work so this'll be what I do during my free time. I don't know if that means when a chapter is finished I'll update it or if I'll try to type up a bunch of chapters so that I can release them all for you guys to binge. Regardless, I want to emphasize that I won't be able to keep a weekly schedule but will finish this fanfiction. Also, I already have a general idea of what I want to do with this story wise and I don't plan to change that because of the introduction of new material because of Dragon Ball Super. Now that I finished with my little rant, enjoy._

* * *

Master Roshi had spent several decades as a warrior, unrivaled in skill until the later years of his life. Regardless, he mastered an ability to detect ki at a level few others could and as a result had sensed some of the greatest battles Earth had ever faced. He was there for Goku to defeat Piccolo in the World Martial Arts Tournament, witnessed the savage duel between his pupils and the Saiyans via the TV but the fight that seemed to show pinnacle of power was when Goku returned from Namek to defeat Frieza and King Cold. It was a battle that shook the planet to its core and made the average human think that a Nuclear War had begun.

However, even that paled in comparison to what the Turtle Hermit was sensing now. What he was sensing was several levels above the power of the Super Saiyan from 13 years ago. It was the power of that man's son against Dr. Gero's ultimate Android.

"I never thought a power like this could exist. Then again, these newer generations keep surprising me," he spoke as a hand ran across his white beard.

* * *

13 stumbled back and clutched his chest, the fake skin spliced apart by the unexpected attack. His body now displayed its inner components with flashing lights and colorful wires replacing the natural skin tone provided to him by his creator. He looked up from his wound onto the man before him. His eyes squinted as he processed the sight. It was familiar and new at the same time, reminding the Android of his primary target.

"You ain't Goku, are ya?" He asked, finally becoming interested with one of his enemies.

The warrior starred back silently. He wasn't here to answer any questions. No, the only task before him was to end the tyranny that had kept an iron grip over his home for all these years. Still without a word he moved into a striking pose, his body turning to the side and his fist pointing out to its target. 13 tilted his head questioningly before feeling the impact of his opponent's fist ramming into his chest and thrusting him out into the air. The orange clad warrior pressed off his right foot and leaped into the sky after 13.

Sixteen's man-made eyes followed the warrior until only an orange speck could be detected. His eyes recalled the image of a man wearing an orange gi that was programmed into him. There was a time where he would've felt compelled to reach out and crush that image with his bare hands. Now that Bulma had modified his programming, that desire had been removed from his mind. All that Sixteen could feel for that image was hope. Hope that the man his master had deemed such a threat as to design several monsters to combat him could overcome the challenge. His head turned down to the unconscious Trunks. His face was bruised but his breathing was regular. Sixteen smiled at that face. _Good, at least he's alright._ But the Android knew that if 13 wasn't stopped that fact would soon change. An entire planet rested on the shoulders of this unexpected fighter.

* * *

_The entire planet rests on my shoulders!_

That thought drummed through Gohan's mind as he pursued the Android. He had never seen this foe before but he was able to figure out _what_ he was quick enough. This man attacked Trunks. This man bore the Red Ribbon insignia. This man would fall by Gohan's hand, that he was sure of.

Now the Android was back in Gohan's sight. He pulled his arm back and began charging a ball of energy into his open palm. Just as he fired it, the drifting Android suddenly stopped and disappeared. He emerged in front of Gohan and as the stunned fighter looked up, his back was overwhelmed by the downward force of 13's left fist pressing against it.

Gohan's flight was quickly thrown off course and his body crashed into the earth, rocks shooting out from around him as his impact developed a crater. He stood up from the ground and dusted himself off. He glared at the floating 13 above him. The Android's face showed a twisted smile, proud of his hit. Gohan's hand wrapped around his sword and he pulled it out from the scabbard. 13 glared hatefully at the blade that had cut him.

Gohan took in a deep breath and fired off a blast of ki straight at 13. The Android sighed at the gesture. "Thought ya were smarter than the rest of 'em." Gohan smirked as he saw 13 prepare to swat the blast away.

The swordsman teleported right behind the blast, following the ki, right before the Android's hand slapped it to the side. He charged straight at 13 and forced the blade through the chest, pressing farther with each second. 13 coughed out in pain as he felt some of his circuits begin to malfunction. He wasn't out of the fight though, and quickly thrust his hand in front of Gohan, firing a blast of ki to stun him and allow the Android to escape the sword's hold over him. He winced as the oil inside leaked out and panted weakly. Seeing the results of his attack, Gohan swung his sword to the side, splattering the liquid staining his blade off into the distance.

"It's obvious you're one of Gero's machines but who exactly are you?" Gohan asked. With only one eye open 13 looked into Gohan's eyes.

"I'm Android Model # 13: The Ultimate Android," he answered, his voice booming with egotism despite his situation. Gohan however, was not amused. He tossed his blade up into the air, causing the Android to look up. Seeing the opportunity Gohan barreled forward and planted his elbow firmly into the chin of his target before spinning up and striking the same location with the sole of his boot. As 13's body arched back, the Z-Sword tumbled down and Gohan caught the hilt. He shot it out of his hand like a javelin aimed at the neck.

13's eyes snapped open and he slid to the side, making a fatal blow merely scratch the side of his neck. The sword tumbled below and crashed into the Earth, its weight now forcing it through the surface. "Damn..." Gohan muttered, realizing the sword was lost for now. 13 floated up to his height and the two began to drift in a circle, each waiting for the other to strike.

Gohan went first, a fist flying forward at the Android's head. 13 had learned from his injuries and ducked, grabbing the outstretched wrist and pulling it towards him. With the two in closer proximity, the Android kneed Gohan in the gut and followed up by giving a head butt. Gohan reacted before 13's fist could make contact next, using his wrist to push his opponent's arm to the side and throwing him off balance. Within a second, his left leg crashed into 13's right side, barely phasing the Android as his right arm pushed the limb against his side to maintain hold over it and his left hand formed a fist that smashed into Gohan's knee.

The Saiyan screamed out in pain as he felt his bones crack and his connection to the limb weaken. "Now we're both a little broken," 13 taunted. Unwilling to let the pain overcome him, Gohan shook it off and retaliated with a head butt of his own, following through with a flurry of punches that 13 struggled to avoid while his grip on the damaged leg continued. Finally a punch made contact, pressing into 13's nose and loosening the hold he had over him. However 13 would not submit to one hit and instead used his now free hand to fire a red orb of ki at Gohan's chest that dragged him across the sky.

Gohan felt his shirt dissolve and his flesh be burned under the ball's power. Ignoring the smell of his own burned chest, he titled his body backwards and floated horizontally in the air, allowing the orb to drift on without him. He looked down at his broken leg, knowing that it would only provide a hindrance now. "Bastard..." he muttered to himself as he began adjusting to one less usable limb. "I can't let this stop me!" He yelled out as his yellow aura burst through the sky, his body rocketing towards 13.

The Android looked over as a yellow glint in the sky suddenly appeared. "MASENKO-" a voice roared out. 13 began to charge up another blast, anticipating his opponent's attack. The Android fired his attack off towards the distance, ready to intercept the other's. "HA!" The voice finished, a yellow line of ki encompassing 13's own red line and slowly moving closer.

"What the-?!" 13 began before a fiery line of ki blasted him. The Android's body was now consumed in a yellow blaze. His voice screeched out in pain, echoing across the entire world. As Gohan appeared before him, his face expressed satisfaction with his work. He began to charge up a Kamehameha at the smoke before him.

As his mouth opened to begin the chant, 13's scorched arm reached out from the black cloud and grabbed a hold of the Saiyan's neck, taking his breath away. Gohan looked to see the smoke fade away and an exoskeleton be exposed underneath the freshly burned rubber skin. "Look...at what ya did ta me! I'm the ULTIMATE ANDROID! YOU WILL NOT DISGRACE ME!" The grip tightened and Gohan's body grew limp as he began to lose control over it. The world would fade to black and the hateful piercing eyes of 13 would be Gohan's final sight before passing on.

At least, that's what the Android expected. Instead, Gohan's eyes lit up briefly, and his aura pushed away 13's hand, allowing him a brief reprieve to catch his breath. Irritated, 13 moved forward and pushed through the force created by the Golden aura, a burning sound emerging from his hand as it coiled into a fist and moved across Gohan's face. In response to the blow, Gohan's field shut down and he spun to the side before 13's fist collided against each of Gohan's ears, pressing into his head. "I'm gonna make ya as deformed as yer little stunt did ta me!" 13 cackled, his anger overriding his body and driving his fight forward. Gohan felt blow after blow against his body, each one more powerful than the last. 13 wasn't going to stop his assault out of boredom as he did with the others. He wasn't going to stop until all that he saw was a pool of blood.

The Android beat his opponent further and further into the earth, sharp rocks cutting Gohan's sides. Gohan tried to push back but 13's hits were too forceful, leaving him no chance to regain control of the situation. It was just him and 13 deep into the earth. And that glint out of the corner of Gohan's eyes. He focused on it, ignoring the fists beating into his chest and processing the sight. _The Z-Sword!_ Gohan's eyes lit up as he fired a ki blast that 13 easily dodged, unaware that its target was the earth surrounding Gohan's sword. The energy broke it up, allowing the blade to tilt downwards and eventually tip over. The blade barreled down before finding a home in 13's back.

"Graaah!" The Android yelled out in confusion, suddenly letting up on his beat down. Gohan reached for the blade sticking out of the chest and pulled it all the way forward, making a clear hole through 13. The Android's eyes seemed faded and he was frozen in place for a while, allowing Gohan to use his functioning leg to kick him out of the hole the two had formed.

Gohan meet up with him at Earth's surface, both leaning on the ground for support. They starred at each other and simply panted for what amounted to minutes. 13's insides were entirely exposed and his system was losing power with each passing second. Gohan's chest was burned and his left leg was broken. The two were wounded completely, either one unable to give in due to their intense desire to win this battle.

As though a silent exchange had occurred, the two pushed off the ground and fired off a straight beam of energy at the other, resulting in an explosive cloud in between the two. Gohan sheathed his sword and rested against the ground to regain his energy. This would only last a minute however, as 13's boot slowly drifted into view when the Android descended in front of him. Gohan began to rise up from the ground but as he stumbled 13's leg struck him across the face, propelling him up and forcing him into the air. Gohan's face shot downward and he flew back at the Android, wrapping his arms and right leg around him before teleporting away.

* * *

The two reappeared in an arctic area as the Android shook Gohan off him and flew some distance away. 13 glanced around to see the area. "What, you think a change of scenery'll help you outta this mess?"

Gohan smirked at him, clearly knowing something his foe didn't. "No, I just figured your system wouldn't be too keen on the cold." 13 looked back quizzically and folded his arms.

"Aren't ya somethin'? Brains and brawn...unfortunately for you..." 13 began. The Android flew straight to Gohan, his right arm rocketing into the Saiyan's scorched chest. "I ain't gonna be here _too_ long." Gohan kicked off the Android's chest with his right leg and began to recover his breath.

"I didn't want to use this since it'll leave me weakened, but you're too tough for me to take out without it," Gohan admitted. 13 moved back uneasily, anticipating his opponent's attack. Gohan relaxed his body and closed his eyes. "Kame..." his voice began. Familiar with the term from Gero's programming, 13 began to guard. "...Hame..." Gohan continued. The Android refused to let a single blast be his downfall. "HA!" Gohan yelled as his eyes shot open and a beam of energy fired out of his outstretched hands.

The beam rocketed towards 13, who began to brace for it. A swift wave of Gohan's hands however, changed things up. The Kamehameha suddenly spliced into 10 separate beams, each one linking back to Gohan's original orb of ki. They all moved in different directions, making 13 unable to keep his mind on them. Just as he dodged one, another struck him until he finally found himself overwhelmed by all the blasts.

Gohan would not let just a single maneuver leave him distracted and charged through the newly formed smoke, dragging the damaged body of 13 out of it and through the sky at rapid speed. All the while, Gohan pulled his right arm back, a golden glow forming around the fist.

* * *

Sixteen's eyes lit up as the two fighters returned into view, the orange gi adorned fighter clearly controlling the current state of the battle. The two crashed straight into the Earth, right in front of Sixteen. The Android rose up from the ground and stumbled forward to see the result. As the smoke settled, his eyes lit up at the sight before him.

The new warrior's right hand had plunged right through 13's chest, right where the heart would be. The wounded android could only stare in disbelief at the arm penetrating his body. "H-how is this possible? I was designed to kill Son Goku, why is he beating me?!"

Even though Sixteen was satisfied with the results, he too was curious as to what was happening here. How had Goku managed to defeat 13? How could he even be alive for that matter? Both machines received the answer with a short sentence from the golden enigma.

"Simple, I'm his son, Gohan." With that, the fighter's fist was retracted from the tyrant and 13 fell back, struggling to remain functioning. Gohan shook off the oil that covered his skin and floated towards Sixteen and Trunks.

"Trunks!" Gohan yelled as he approached his pupil. He shook him and listened for his breathing. "Thank goodness," he sighed as he heard the steady breathing. His eyes quickly shifted towards the other three androids, two of which he was familiar with but the other was unknown to him.

"You're an android," Gohan said coldly to Sixteen. The machine nodded his head. "Do you have any idea the amount of pure chaos you've all caused?!" Gohan's voice echoed through the ruined city.

Sixteen winced at the aggressive screams but spoke up. "I am aware of our actions as a whole. But I do not wish to harm others. I have come only to help." He gestured to Trunks before Gohan reacted protectively.

"Don't touch him!" He yelled as he stepped in between the two. Sixteen merely shook his head.

"I was working with Trunks to stop my brethren. I too want to end this world's sadness." Sixteen replied. Gohan eyed Sixteen, doubting the story. Before he could comment however, the two turned to the sound of a groaning Trunks.

The purple haired boy lifted his head and his eyes slowly opened. At first, he just stared at Gohan, unable to process what he was seeing. But as his mind analyzed the sight, his eyes filled with water and he ran towards his master, hugging him tightly. "Gohan...Gohan..." he sobbed as the two embraced.

Gohan patted his pupil's head, smiling to see him safe. "You've gotten bigger Trunks, hard to believe you've changed so much in a month." The two released each other and Trunks dried his eyes.

"Actually, I used the Hyperbolic Time Chamber," he replied. Gohan gasped, shocked that Trunks could handle such a feat. Seeing this reaction Trunks admitted that he was only able to handle it because Sixteen helped him escape. "He might seem like the other Androids but he's on our side now," he explained. Hearing this, Gohan turned to Sixteen and offered him his hand, accepting Trunks' story and Sixteen responded in kind.

Now that Sixteen's allegiance had been clarified, Gohan turned to the other two Androids. Both were unconscious and looked like hell. "Nice job with these two," he said, nodding to his allies. Trunks and Sixteen exchanged a glance before Trunks spoke up.

"Actually, we didn't fight them. They helped us," he said hesitantly. Gohan backed up, trying to process the words.

_There's no way those two would've helped. After everything they had done..._ The images they had left him with. How could that of changed? _It's impossible._ Gohan shook his head, denying Trunks' words. "There's no way in hell those two would do that..." he mumbled, eyes welling with hate at the sight of those two. He clenched his fists, enraged by even entertaining the idea of them not being enemies anymore. "They're monsters."

* * *

13's body was broken beyond recognition. He had been battered, burned and utterly beaten by Gohan. Even his rage could not force his body to move. This system was failing. But there was a backup system. 13's mind worked at an incredible pace, working out a complex algorithm to send out a signal.

The three fighters turned to the sound emanating from 13's crater. A loud cry was echoing throughout the ruins. "What's happening?!" Trunks yelled, the first to speak.

Suddenly the scattered limbs of both 14 and 15 began to rise and drift through the air. Without any warning the parts began to charge towards the crater, colliding into 13's body and covering it before a large field of energy surrounded the image. Although Gohan couldn't sense anything, the scenario wasn't unfamiliar to him. "The bastard's transforming!"

Panicked, he flew toward the crater, firing off several ki blasts, all of which only bounced away unfazed by his efforts. _No! No! No! _His mind raced at the thought of once again being unable to stop the androids. All he could do now was try to give it all he had. His wrist linked together and his arms swung to the right as he pressed on his right leg, planting himself into the ground. "Kame..."

The field was now getting smaller, forming a large silhouette.

"Hame..."

Color began to return to the image, revealing the hulking blue skinned and red haired figure of what used to be Android 13. Its eyes opened, revealing eyes of pure yellow fire. It took one step forward, the boot decimating the ground below with incredible force.

"HA!"

Gohan's arms swung to face the machine and an ocean blue beam fire out of his hands, stronger than any other attack he had ever done. It crashed head on with the figure, completely covering his image. Gohan pressed on with his attack, applying more and more ki into it until he could see nothing but blue. His arms released the stance as he fell forward, landing on his right knee. He breathed heavily. He had never attempted something like that before. His right eye was now failing him, his exhaustion now affecting him. His golden hair and emerald eyes faded to their natural black color. He looked up to see the line of destruction his attack had made.

In the center of it stood the Android, now with smoke on his chest and a few steps back from where he was before. For a minute the two stayed at their positions, neither moving. But then the Android took a step forward, followed by another. Soon 13 was right in front of Gohan. The wounded Z-fighter looked up at him with his one good eye and gritted his teeth. He knew what would happened next would be painful.

His whole body was lifted into the air by the force of 13's boot colliding with his stomach, forcing Gohan to spit out blood into 13's face. The Android only smiled at the gesture, amused by the impact of his attack. He followed through by ramming his fist into Gohan's ribs, causing a cracking sound to cry out. His left hand wrapped around his opponent's hair as he pulled Gohan's face towards his rising left knee, forcing the two to smash together and repeated this action several times. By the end, 13's regular green pants now had stripes of red scattered about his knee cap. He then released Gohan and began to throw a fist towards him.

This time, Gohan reacted immediately, his hands pushing off the oncoming arm and his right leg swinging to the back of 13, striking the neck from behind. The Android only turned his head and reached for the right leg, ready to give Gohan's legs a broken pair.

"Let him go!" Trunks cried out as he fired off a barrage of blasts that dissipated upon contact with 13's new armored body. The giant released his hold over Gohan, instead choosing to plant him in the ground with a stomp of his boot before beginning to face Trunks. He raised an arm to strike before feeling the force of Sixteen's own arms wrap against his own.

"You will not harm anyone else!" Sixteen declared, pinning the Super Android in place. Trunks used this opportunity to give out as much damage as possible, bashing 13's head in with several blows. Gohan rose up from the ground and aided the assault, his and Trunks' attacks in complete unison. For each hit Trunks landed, Gohan smashed down one more, adding to the impact. Yet 13 never showed signs of yielding. Instead, he roared like a beast, shooting out a barrier of ki that sent the two Saiyans flying and Sixteen completely stunned. The monster turned to his brethren and proceeded to fire off a ki blast the blew off part of the Android's head, exposing the inner wiring. He was about to "even it out" when another blast intercepted his.

Enraged, 13 turned to see 18 floating above him, her body scraped up from her earlier fight with him and his brothers. The Android flung Sixteen at her, using the distraction to zoom in front of her and kneed her in the gut. He then pulled his leg back and with both hands locked together, struck her back. The hit left her tumbling downward just as the tossed Sixteen reached 13 in the air. The Android began to charge up another ball of ki when he felt a punch to his side. Again, 13 turned, this time facing a wounded 17. Seeing his attack had no effect, he tried to escape the titan before him. 17's legs were quickly snatched by the giant brown gloves worn by 13, and its grip tightened, locking the two in place.

The blue android spun in place, 17 forced to move alongside him. As 18 rose from the ground, 17 launched the brother at his sister, leaving the siblings in the dirt. He drifted downwards, forming another ki blast in his hands. He released the blast as the two were still recovering, leaving them only able to stare at the red demise intended for them. A green figure rushed in front of them, taking in the blunt force before being scattered into the wind.

Sixteen's broken figure drifted to the ground and laid there motionless.

* * *

_Alright, so that chapter was significantly shorter than the previous one. I'd like to reach that same amount at some point but since it's been a while this is what I could muster. I wrote this chapter in about 6 hours so hopefully it's fine for what it is. I would make it longer but I feel that I wrote what was necessary and I don't want to drag it out. The ending sentence should stand on its own. Anyway, onto the Q&amp;A!_

**Q&amp;A:**

**Q**: _really like this so far, though I think 18 and 17 reformed a bit too quickly. I mean they've been killing people for years and they suddenly realize its wrong? even Vegeta and Piccolo took a few years to come around on that issue_

**A**:_ Fair point but 17 and 18 were people with morals before Gero got a hold of them. Vegeta and Piccolo grew up without that aspect, so their reform would be easier. Also, from a story perspective it kind of needed to happen when it did. A 2v5 fight is much harder than a 4v3._

**Q**:_ Finally! Gohan's here to kick 13's redneck ass! But the main problem I had was that 17 &amp; 18 reformed wayyyyyyyyy too fast. I mean, somebody won't just regret the things they did for the past 13 years in one moment, even if it is in a circumstance like this, right? But all in all, great chapter. Hope to see more._

**A**:_ Thanks for your praise. Like with the previous question, I admit that it can seem rushed and maybe I'll go back and add some scenes but I tried to show their character development from their first appearance, when they were annoyed by Gohan's lectures and confused by his emphasis on peace. In all fairness though, 13 years of tyranny make redemption hard and I see where a lot of people are coming from. Don't worry though, I'll have a chapter at the end of this saga that basically deals with the ramifications of their past._

* * *

_I'll try to give you guys the next two chapters as soon as possible. Given how quickly this one came out from when I started it, I think it's possible to at least finish this arc and start the next one by the end of the week. Though to be fair, I did say "next week" on the last chapter and ended up taking 5 months so..._


	11. Chapter 10: A New Era

**Chapter 10: A New Era**

* * *

**Note: **_Wow did the fanfic get a lot of attention last chapter! I posted it 48 hours before writing this and I've already received 1000 views, nearly 20% of what I had total back in June! Thanks everyone for supporting this series! Enjoy!_

* * *

Sixteen's broken figure drifted to the ground and laid there motionless.

Trunks looked on at the sight, enraged. "Y-you...BASTARD!" Trunks screamed out into the ruins, charging straight into his target and piercing him with the front of his elbow. Before 13's hulking figure could retaliate, Trunks was already at his side, punching away at the mechanical ribs 13 had. The Android spun around to the side, reaching for his target who narrowly avoided the grab and had begun firing off several waves of ki at his target.

"You killed him! You killed him!" With every passing minute Gohan could sense Trunks' energy rising, the inner power of Saiyan royalty boiling out of him. 13 was finally yielding to something. His body leaned forward as the assault pressed on, forcing him to lay on his knees. Gohan began to stand up to help but began to fall as well, only preventing himself from collapsing by using the Z-Sword as a crutch.

"Let me help you," 18 offered, flying down and offering her hand to him. Gohan pushed her aside, refusing her help. She paused, staring at the weakened figure of a man forced with the burden of an entire world, an entire people, an entire legacy of heroes as a child. Only one of Gohan's eyes was working, and his breathing had become even heavier in the last few minutes. Still, he ignored 18's assistance. He began to force his battered figure forward, only to be halted by 18 standing in front of him, arms stretched out from her sides.

"I won't let you do this, you're too weak. He'll kill you," she warned.

"That...didn't seem to be a problem for you when...we were fighting," he retorted under heavy breathing. She looked to the side, ashamed. What he was saying was true. She had allowed the words of a mad scientist to mold her into a monster. The same monster that had terrorized the world for 13 years. The same monster who woke up 13. This was her doing.

"I know that." She said sternly. Gohan looked up, surprised by her display of honesty. "I know that I've done horrible, unspeakable things. But that's why I want to help put an end to this. I don't want to see this world fall apart anymore than I've already forced it to. This is my penance." Her declaration ringed loud and confident. Gohan forced himself to stand up using the Z-Sword and looked straight into her eyes. Without a word, he nodded and began to move towards the fight. "Wait, you're still injured! You can't do anything like this!" she called out.

"For a Z-Fighter, injuries like these are nothing," he scoffed. In that moment, 18 finally found the answer to why Gohan never stopped fighting them. It's because the heroes he worshipped never surrendered, so neither would he. This was the driving force of Earth's hero.

* * *

Trunks' fist slammed into 13's cheek, twisting it and forcing the blue skin to be pressed against the teeth inside. 13 howled in frustration at Trunks' power, overwhelming him and causing him to have to be injured. But he would tolerate it no more. Numb to the pain, the android disregarded the knee colliding with his chin and crushed his fist against Trunks' chest, sending the fighter flying into the edge of their crater. 13 barreled across the field like a charging bull, banging his head straight into Trunks' skull. Blood dripped from the Super Saiyan's forehead as he struggled to recover from the blow. 13 wouldn't give him the chance though, grabbing the boy by the head and tossing him into the air, finishing off the action with a red beam of ki blasting Trunks away.

13 watched as his enemy emerged from the smoke, his hands united to form a ball of ki. The blue titan began preparing one of his own, massive in size and tinted a crimson red. The two fired off their blasts at the same time, anticipating a clash between ki. As the red ball rose into the air, 17 and 18 emerged at its side, firing off a blast of ki that negated the energy. 13's eyes lit up in rage at their interference, ready to finish off the rest of his kind. As he prepared to charge them, Gohan leaped onto his back and teleporting 13 and himself in front of Trunks' ki blast. Before 13 could react, Gohan teleported away and the monster was consumed in a yellow ball of fire that forced him into the ground. The beast cried out in pain, humiliated that even with his power he could still be beaten. 17 and 18 added to the impact, forming a bright blue ball of ki in each hand and tossing it at 13. The four fighters floated in the air, panting and waiting to see the result of their latest tactic.

Nothing remained when the smoke drifted away. 17 hoped this was due to them finally destroying 13. This hope was quickly crushed by 13's fist bashing him on the head and sending his stunned body through an empty building. The Super Android turned to his next target, 18, and rushed at her with both hands carrying small red orbs to fire with. Once in range, he tossed the first ball out of his hand, surrounding her and burning her entire essence. Barely breathing, she began to fall to the ground as smoke drifted off her burned clothes. 13 then tossed the other orb from his right hand, spinning it towards her at incredible speed. He watched as it approached her, about to destroy the first and last female android.

* * *

Trunks bolted towards 18 with all the strength he had. Even if she was an android, even if she had been the reason for all this strife, he would not watch her die. His body shifted to the right, his back facing the orb as he used himself as a shield to guard the injured 18. Her eyes opened briefly as she saw his silhouette carry her and felt his blood drip onto her face. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice strained from the pain coming from his entire body. She smiled at him to express her gratitude before her face twisted into a horrified expression. Behind him appeared 13, his hand raised to his side. In one smooth stroke the hand struck the side of Trunks' face, sending him spinning to the left. Now it was just him and 18. He stepped forward, holding his hand out to her face and charging up his ki.

Gohan rushed 13 from behind, ready to impale him with the Z-Sword but 13 was tired of being interrupted. Without even turning, his free arm moved to his back and fired off a wave of red ki that surrounded the area behind him. The attack stopped Gohan's slash mid-strike and flew him off in the opposite direction. Finally able to escape all the distractions, he fired his blast and sent 18 through the window of a former shopping center. He slowly walked towards it, a sadistic smile worn on his face.

* * *

Trunks shot up from his floored position, glancing around the battle area to find 18. He squinted to see 13's blast throw her away and immediately began to charge to her direction.

"Trunks, wait!" Gohan called out as his pupil passed him. Trunks halted and turned to his master. Gohan struggled to stand with only one leg and held out the blade in his hand to him. "This is the only thing that can stop him."

"What is it?" Trunks asked. With all the fighting going around, the two hadn't yet explained everything that had happened in their time away from each other.

"It's a sword that can cut through anything. If you can land one shot through him, it'll give us a weak point to expose," Gohan explained. His friend accepted the weapon before his arms dropped down to his side upon receiving the heavy blade. "Be careful, it's heavy," Gohan warned. Trunks made a few air slices with the blade, adjusting to its mass, before nodding to his master and continuing to fly towards 18. Gohan limped behind him. "This is our only chance Trunks, you can do this."

* * *

13 stomped his boot into 18's gut, crushing her through the floor and into the 1st level of the building complex. He would've then descended right behind her but was stopped by 17's leg bashing into the back of his head. "Don't...touch my sister." 17 said, no longer afraid for his own life. He was willing to die if it meant he could protect his sister. 13 simply pulled 17 by the leg closer to him, and with a single punch to the face, left him stunned on the floor. Wanting to savor each death, 13 brushed him to the side with a kick. He looked down to the hole he had made with his foot and saw an unconscious 18 lying on the floor.

As he jumped below, her eyes shot open and she fired beams of ki straight into the monsters eyes, blinding him and causing him to fall on the floor wailing. 18 used the opportunity to weaken the enemy, charging at him and dealing a melee combo that beat the android further into the floor. As her right fist swung towards his chest, 13's eyes opened and his palm blocked her strike. His fingers wrapped around her hand and with great force, crushed her hand. "Aaah!" 18 yelled in pain, pulling against 13's grip to free her hand as he continued to apply more and more pressure to it.

"Get off her!" Trunks yelled as he swung the heavy Z-Sword down through the air and across the Android's back, splitting the armor open and revealing the inner wiring. 13 turned to retaliate but Trunks was able to step to the side, barely avoiding the strike. He rose the blade up from the ground, cutting through 13's outstretched arm and leaving the monster without a hand. Trunks jumped up, attempting to pierce his foe with the sword only to have 13's other hand catch him by the neck and force him to release the weapon. 13's grip tightened around his target's throat and Trunks felt his body completely go limp, unable to resist the stranglehold the blue monster had over him. 13 slammed his body into the floor like a rag doll and continued to strengthen his metallic grip. Suddenly, his metal nerves were malfunctioning and his arm went limp, releasing its hold on Trunks. The Android turned to see 18 standing up, her arm outstretched and smoke emitting from it.

"You shouldn't leave yourself so exposed," she taunted. 13 felt his mind begin to unravel as her ki blast continued with its effect and his inner mechanisms were burned. Trunks fired off an energy blast of his own, burning through the stub that used to hold the Android's right hand. The two continued to shoot a barrage of ki as 13 fell to the ground, his body armor unable to defend him anymore. He felt himself lose completely control over the scenario. The Super Android's mind began to focus, no longer guided by blind rage. His anger was now concentrated, and his personality began to return.

"I'm real tired of y'all!" He yelled, summoning a giant red explosive energy wave that completely disintegrated the building the three were in and left Trunks and 18 tumbling together through the dirt. 13 was no longer planning to drag this out. All of his goofing off had left him weak, he would finish this now. What remained of both arms stretched horizontally in the air as a bloody orb of energy began to emerge in front of the Android's chest. His signature attack had now changed its physical appearance, with crimson rings circling around the ball at various angles, and the entire area began to turn a red tint that reminded Gohan of blood. He moved to 18 and Trunks' location to check up on them.

"Are you guys alright?" He asked the two. Trunks nodded, feigning strength, until 18 told Gohan about his injuries.

"He can't fight like this, he's not like you," she stated. Trunks tried to shake off her concerns but winced in pain as he tried to stand up.

"Did you land a cut?" Gohan asked. Trunks nodded, though now it seemed pointless to him. "Good..." Gohan muttered to himself. 18 and Trunks just glared at him confused.

_What about this situation seemed good?_ The two wondered to themselves.

"18, go grab your brother. Trunks, move 16. He's broken but Bulma might be able to fix him. For now, leave the rest to me." With that, Gohan began to float up towards the ball 13 had formed.

* * *

"What's he doing? Is he crazy?!" 17 yelled as he saw Gohan approach the massive ki.

"He knows what he's doing, we have to move now!" 18 ordered, slinging her brother's arm over her neck and dragging him away in the air with her.

Trunks landed near Sixteen's remains and lifted up his head. "Hey Sixteen," he muttered in a whisper. "Gohan says Mom can fix you. When that happens, I'll tell you all about what happened here." He soon flew out of the city, cradling the Android's head in his arms.

* * *

13 wasn't sure what he felt when he saw Gohan appear near his attack. Was it joy? He'd finally see this brat be crushed like the bug he was._ But why can't he see that I'm better than him? That he's lost?_ Was 13 feeling confusion? Frustration? The Android couldn't care less at this point. Regardless of what he felt, he knew that he had won. Nothing was stronger than he was. Nobody else could stop him. "S.S. DEADLY BOMBER!" The Android's voice rang throughout the world, the sound shaking the mountains and shifting the tides for those brief few seconds of screaming. The ball of energy drifted towards Gohan, a hateful fire behind it.

Gohan reached out for the ball with one hand and felt it begin to burn his skin. The smell of his own burning flesh nauseated him, but he pressed further and further, linking his own body to the ki. 13 could only stare at his actions in disbelief. "Are you crazy?!" He yelled out. What was the point of this? Was he trying to just take away 13's satisfaction from killing him by willfully dying? Gohan's head tilted up to face him and the Android saw his lips move, reading off two words.

_Instantaneous Movement._

With a loud boom, 13 felt his entire body be set ablaze from above, his own ball of red fire now being guided by his enemy and pressing further and further into the cut on his back. "H-how?!" the Android yelled out in confusion, his head so twisted from the sudden collision he could barely see Gohan's figure drifting down, his right arm forcing the ball deeper and deeper into the wiring as the two collided into the Earth and formed a crater that consumed the entire city. 13's giant blue silhouette was now a fiery red that began to shrivel into nothing, his pained screams becoming a ghastly wail.

Android 13 was no more.

With his arm completely burned from the trick, Gohan's body collapsed into the giant dent. He laid there with his eyes completely shut, unable to open out of exhaustion. He was focusing all of his energy on breathing. He could feel that his cuts had now dried and his left leg was even more damaged than before, thanks to his continued battling. _At least I didn't black out this time,_ he thought to himself.

Gohan didn't move for what seemed like hours, slowly letting his body recover from the ordeal. When he opened them again, he jumped at the sight of the two kais floating a few inches off the ground in front of him. "What're you two doing here?" he asked, shocked by their sudden appearance.

Supreme Kai smiled and began. "We said we'd let you fight this battle on your own. You did. We never said we wouldn't see the aftermath." Gohan shrugged off the response.

"What'd you think of the fight Kibito?" Gohan asked, turning to the much taller kai. "I've improved at least a little right?" he jested.

Kibito nodded before commenting. "Using Instantaneous Movement to redirect a foe's attack was both clever," he paused, "and crazy! What if you had failed to properly link with the attack? You could've teleported away without your own arm!" His yelling was not its regular lecturing tone but rather one of a concerned friend. Gohan nodded to express his apologies for worrying his friend.

"I know it was risky but the Z-Fighters have never been one for practical methods. My dad even bit Frieza's tail on Namek," he laughed. Kibito looked away in disgust at hearing of Goku's 'tactic'.

"How shameful," the guardian muttered to himself. The other two chuckled at the sight of a flustered Kibito. "Ahem," he coughed in an attempt to change the topic. "Your leg looks like it's serious need of healing." His large red palm moved to the broken bones and began to use his powers to mend the leg. Gohan winced at first. The sensation of having his bones moved around in place was still unsettling to him. It was like having insects crawling around underneath his skin, messing around with his body from the inside. The feeling subsided soon after it began and Gohan started to rub his leg.

"It's good as new, thanks Kibito!" Gohan said, jumping up into the air and moving around with his healed leg. He stretched a bit and did some back flips to make sure he was in good condition. "I can't believe there were Androids even more powerful than 17 and 18. Luckily no man-made machine could stand up to the Z-Sword," he stated, grateful for the blade's uncanny power.

"Ah yes, where is the Z-Sword?" Supreme Kai asked Gohan. The fighter's face suddenly turned concerned.

"I-I don't know?" He chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. The two kais gasped. Before Kibito could explode in rage, the three turned to the sound of Trunks descending, Z-Sword in hand.

"I picked this up for you, figured you want it back." He tossed the blade out of his hand towards Gohan, who caught it with the scabbard on his back and put it back into place. In Trunks' other hand he held Sixteen's head. Gohan turned to see the horrified expressions on the Kais' faces.

"Trunks, these two are the ones who saved me from 17 and 18. The head in Trunks' hand is Sixteen, an Android friend," Gohan explained. The Kais' faces returned to their natural stern expression, completely ignoring their previous reaction. Trunks nodded to them, thanking them for their help. Gohan glanced around for a sign of the twins. "Where are 17 and 18?" Trunks shook his head.

"I have no idea where they went. I thought they would stay, but I guess Gero's programming isn't going to be fixed that easily. They're probably hiding out," Trunks replied. Just then, the two in question came into sight. 18 helped 17 down and then approached the other four.

"We're not running away," she stated, irritated by Trunks' accusation. She understood his reasoning but still didn't like it. She eyed the four in front of her. Trunks was the only one with a hint of compassion in his face. His eyes looked warm and comforting, sympathizing with the twins' plight. She didn't know who the two new people were but their pointy ears reminded her of Piccolo. They both starred emotionlessly at her as though she was not with their time. Her eyes then wandered to Gohan, who sat on the edge of the crater, his arms hanging down between his legs. His black eyes glared at her with a mixture of emotions. She could see the pure rage seeing her filled him with. Even if it had been Gero controlling them, it was her image that Gohan saw perform monstrosities. When he thought of evil, it would've been her face in his mind. Even if they had broken free from their programming, Gohan looked like he would never accept her. She was the one who killed Piccolo. It became clear to 18 that there was no going back from these 13 years. The world had been destroyed and their place alongside it. 17 and her couldn't just move past this. She clenched her fists.

Trunks walked up to her and placed an arm on her shoulder. "We'll figure it out," he promised gently. 18 was shocked by his kindness as was Gohan. The other Saiyan stood up and stomped over.

"Trunks, it isn't that simple," he said as he brushed his hand off 18. She stepped back as he approached. He was much stronger than before and it was clear that their alliance was only temporary for their fight with 13. "You're known throughout the world as the monsters who brought us near extinction. How will you live up to that?" His question hid no malice, his voice was drowning in it. She only stared at her shoes, unable to face those black eyes again. "13 years of this. 13. It can't be wiped away that easily." His words were cold but true. "You say you've escaped Gero's programming, but how will you know for sure? Could you really say that if we weren't around to keep you in check, you wouldn't relapse?" She finally raised her head, tears pouring out of her eyes. Both men looked to each other and back to the sobbing android. _Android 18 didn't show weakness. But, at least for now, she was more than an Android. _

"I don't know!" She cried. She was shaking, terrified of falling back into that decade long prison that her body turned into. Was it possible that the programming would come back to haunt her? She had only broken free because her life was in danger. With things settling down could it be possible that her free will would once again be lost? She shuddered at the idea. Her wet face looked over at her brother, still resting from the beat down 13 gave him. The only thing that scared her more than losing herself to mind control was her brother. He was her everything, the only part of her that stayed after Gero enslaved them.

Gohan picked up on her eyes shifting to the unconscious 17. Her face told him everything. She was afraid of seeing him suffer. It was an expression he had seen before. It was worn by every mother praying for her daughter, every oldest sibling trying to feed his orphaned family. It was the face he wore, looking at Trunks all those years. A face wanting to shield those he loved most from something he was powerless to even as much as halt. That face was worn only by those who truly loved another and feared for their safety. No evil machine could feel that way for another. With that realization, his doubt began to subside. How many times had he watched those two destroy cities, never questioning what was behind those anarchists' silhouettes? Now he knew what it was: two scared teenagers banging on the cellar door for someone to free them. How could he in good conscious close lock them down there once more? He wouldn't be stopping Gero's terror, he'd only contribute to the casualties with two more innocents. He sighed loudly causing everyone else to turn to him. "The Android menace is over, now it's time to rebuild," he stated plainly. "What's your name?" he asked 18. She stared back at him, unable to understand the question.

"I'm 18?" She answered with a puzzled expression. Gohan shook his head, disregarding the answer.

"No, your name, not your model number."

She paused, struggling to draw forth an answer. She could barely remember anything from her past after Gero abducted them. Who was she when she was human? What was her life like? A small fragment of memory passed through her mind. "Lazuli? Lapis? Are you awake?" It was a gentle voice, like that of a mother. The thought subsided quickly after but it's information stayed.

"L-Lazuli," she stuttered. It had been years since that name passed her lips. It was the name of a young girl who had died years ago when a mad scientist had found her. A girl who was now among the living for the first time in nearly two decades.

Gohan offered his hand to her. "Will you help us rebuild, Lazuli?" he asked her. A smile emerged from the pained face and she accepted the burned warrior's hand. Today, she felt freedom for the first time in over 10 years.

* * *

Rebuilding Earth would prove to be no simple task. Humanity had suffered a long time under Gero's reign and it would take years to return to normal. To this end, Trunks and Bulma worked to lead Earth's healing, along with the remade Sixteen, courtesy of Bulma's tech savvy skills. Lapis, the true name of 17, and Lazuli wanted to help but Gohan advised they not spearhead the project. Instead, he recommended they change their appearance and try to reach out to those still struggling to survive. When the world turned to a battle ground, many looked to barbaric tactics to survive. It was important for them to see what humanity had fallen prey to and for them to be the ones to personally resolve that issue, according to Gohan. With everything settled, the two prepared their farewells at the Briefs' house.

* * *

"When the two of you first showed up, Mom nearly had a heart attack," Trunks laughed. He had been the most willing to accept the Androids, probably because unlike Gohan he never witnessed them actually kill anyone. Looking back, Gohan was grateful for this small gift of not forcing his friend to see what he had to. Bulma too eventually was able to swallow the pill that they were victims in this too, though that didn't mean she accepted them with the same warmth as her son. Trunks had never known his father but Bulma had loved him, despite the prince's flaws. Unlike Gohan, those feelings of loss had not and probably would never subside. No matter what, some small part of her seemed like it would always look at Lapis as 17, the monster that took Vegeta from her.

Sixteen walked up to the two twins, patting each of their heads with his hand. After he had woken up, the two thanked him for saving their lives from 13's attack. He was the one they spent the most time with, asking him about what his plans were and if he'd want to go with them. He said he appreciated the offer but he had decided to stay with Trunks and support the Briefs in leading the planet. Lapis and Lazuli finally stopped asking him to join them but promised that if he ever needed help, they'd be there for him.

Gohan rested on the side of Bulma's home, merely waving them goodbye with a swipe of his hand. He had barely interacted with the two since the battle settled. He spent all his time with the Kais, discussing things in secret. One time Lazuli approached them and in a rush, the tall red one grabbed hold of Gohan and the other guy and the three disappeared. She later asked Trunks if he knew what was going on but he told her that he didn't know but if Gohan wanted to keep it private he would respect his master's wishes. It didn't seem to them like he wanted to avoid them out of spite but Gohan seemed to now be focused on something completely different than rebuilding Earth.

The twins had now dyed their hair a light brown color and put in green contact lenses in order to hide themselves from the rest of the world. The plan was to have Trunks be known as the one who stopped the Androids in order to gain support for the Briefs' leading Earth's recovery by uniting under the young hero. Trunks was the only one who dismissed this plan, stating instead that Gohan should take credit for being the one to actually stop 13 but his master refused, saying that his role as guardian ended one month ago. Lapis and Lazuli rose into the air and took off in order to begin their own rehabilitation. It had been years since they had lived as humans. Now was their chance to start over.

Trunks and Sixteen watched their silhouettes fade into the night sky before retiring for the night, leaving Gohan alone outside.

"Are you done now?" Kibito asked, irritated by the time they had already wasted on Earth. The plan had only been to let Gohan stay until the Androids were dealt with. Instead, they had already dragged out his visit to two weeks.

"Supreme Kai, just give me one more day to take care of things here. That's all I'm asking," Gohan begged. The small man nodded and floated away, Kibito chasing after him. "Only 24 hours to say goodbye to everyone?" The young warrior entered through the front door and entered the spare room Bulma had set up for him. He lay flat on the bed wondering who he would see and more importantly, what he would say. "One day, to sum up everything. I shouldn't complain. That's a lot more than you got, right Dad?" he spoke out into the heavens. His father died of a sudden heart attack, unable to give anyone a proper farewell. Gohan was being given that time, he was lucky. He swore to himself to say everything he almost lost the chance to during that stormy night in the ruins. Pushing aside his memories of that grim battle, he shut his eyes and began to sleep. The experience had finally been comforting for him. Ever since the androids appeared, he always was afraid of closing his eyes. He'd wonder what would happen while he selfishly rested. He'd see the images of a demolished world. It terrified him. But that changed two weeks ago. Gohan could finally be at peace.

* * *

The next day he got up early and left the Briefs' home. It was going to be long day of travel. He could teleport to everyone but he didn't want to today. He wanted to see as much of the earth as possible today. His first destination would be the Lookout. Gohan became surrounded in a white aura of ki and moved through the clouds to Korin's tower. He looked down and watched the hundreds of people across the world that had finally come out of hiding. They were all working together, rebuilding houses and making food. It was a heartwarming sight for someone who had only seen the worst of humanity lately.

Eventually, Gohan arrived at the base of the tower. He rubbed his hand against it, feeling the structure's engravings. He thought he would never see it again. He then drifted up towards the top of the Lookout. Within minutes, he had arrived at the white tiles that made up the Lookout's base. Even before his boots could tap against the floor, he saw them run out: Korin and Mr. Popo.

"Gohan!" They both yelled, rushing to hug him. The three stood there frozen for a few moments, laughing and crying at the same time. Korin rubbed his paw in Gohan's hair and Mr. Popo hugged him tightly. To Gohan, he was being reunited with the two had supported him in those early years fighting the androids. To them, they were able to finally be with the boy they had believed in.

Eventually the hug broke off and the three pulled themselves together. "We thought we lost you in that last fight against the two. How'd you survive that?" Korin asked him. Gohan took some time to explain the situation, at times pointing to his Z-Sword and even demonstrating Instantaneous Movement to them. When he finished, the two were stunned by his tale.

"Cooler took over Namek?"

"You fought Vegeta in Hell?"

"There were three more androids?"

"A level beyond Super Saiyan?"

Gohan was bombarded with question after question regarding his adventure. Explaining things the best he could, the two listened to him as he stumbled through each answer. By the end, things seemed even more complicated to the residents of the Lookout. "What will you do now?" Mr. Popo asked him.

"Supreme Kai met his end of the deal. Earth is safe from the Androids. I have to leave after today and resolve their problem too," Gohan replied. Korin scratched his furry chin while thinking of what to say.

"I've expected great things from you for a while but this is just..." Korin paused, struggling to find the words. "...we'll miss you," he conceded. Mr. Popo nodded and Gohan smiled at their words. It was nice to hear that.

"I'll miss you guys too but I've got to do this." Gohan said. "I have to make a lot of stops today, so this is where I check out. Thank you for everything." Gohan moved in for another hug before breaking off and diving down the Lookout. _Next stop, Roshi's!_

* * *

Roshi turned to the door as he heard a knock. He hadn't had a guest in years. He had thought the only time he'd hear any sound coming from that door would be when death, both of them, came knocking. He hesitated to approach the sound until he heard a calming voice at the door. "Master Roshi? It's Gohan!" Without delay, the turtle hermit flung the door open to see the young warrior standing on the island. The old man waved his hand, inviting the man into his house. Gohan strolled in and the two sat down on opposite sides of Roshi's table.

"It's been years, I could hardly recognize you Gohan," Roshi began.

"Yeah, it sure has been a while," Gohan thought back to the first time he met Roshi. Goku had brought Gohan to meet Roshi along with Bulma and Krillin when he was just a little boy. That was the start of all the crazy in his life. Raditz had appeared and changed everything that day. Looking back, the high stakes didn't really stop after that encounter. The Saiyans arrived, they went to Namek, the Cold family attacked and then the Androids began to destroy Earth. There was no time to breathe in between. Now things were finally back to how they were when Gohan was just a little boy floating on a Nimbus Cloud with his dad. A glance at Roshi told Gohan that he had a similar thought running through his mind. Gohan decided to explain his story to Roshi too, explaining how he became stronger than the Androids and how he was now going to face a universal threat. The hermit chuckled at the statement and how it reminded him of Goku, always going farther. Gohan never was truly close to Roshi but as his father's mentor, he earned the Saiyan's respect. That was partially why Gohan even visited in the first place. "This is kind of embarrassing but...could you teach me the Kamehameha?" Gohan asked. "I mean, I can do it but no one really taught it to me, I've sort of just been mimicking what I saw from others. I want to learn the proper technique." Roshi adjusted his glasses at the statement, hiding the emotions his eyes revealed. It had been years since someone looked to him for advice as a warrior and in light of the recent enemies Earth had faced, the old man felt obsolete.

"Let's see...I suppose I can find some time for it today," he lied, bottling in his excitement. Roshi exited the house, with Gohan close behind. "First, show me your attempt at it," he requested. Gohan nodded and began to re-enact the motions. His hands were facing outward and his fingers all curved in that direction. The bottom of his palms were put together and he swung his arm back, beginning the chant as he formed some energy within his hands. Soon after, he guided the ki with his arms, moving it to face outward and firing off a powerful beam that caused the Ocean surrounding the beam to part mid-way. "My goodness," the hermit said in response to Gohan's display.

"However," he began as he approached his pupil's son. "You've got to know when to charge the ki," he instructed. He assumed the technique stance. "You first start to charge the ki at the initial stance, only slightly. This is what represents the 'kame' part of the chant." He moved his hands to his right side before continuing. "This position should only contain the "hame" part of your attack. Finally, you swing your arms to face outward and release the blast. This final step is where the "ha" comes from. Together, the blast has a more devastating effect." Finished with the lesson, the turtle hermit displayed the full effect of the attack. The blast wasn't as strong as Gohan's but the beam's shape was larger and traveled farther. "Now, try it yourself." Gohan nodded and proceeded to follow the instructions. His motions mirrored Roshi's, and his beam displayed the advantages that his previous attempt lacked. "See, it's that simple if you understand what you're doing." Gohan thanked him for his lesson and told him that he had to leave. "Of course, of course. It was nice to see you again," Master Roshi said as the warrior floated away. He went back inside his home, suddenly remembering that he left Puar, Oolong and Turtle asleep upstairs. In order to escape their wrath he chose to keep this encounter to himself.

* * *

Gohan's last destination was the most nerve wracking. He almost stopped midflight once he reached the hills leading to the mountains. In fact he did stop, instead choosing to walk the rest of the way. His eyes wandered around to the different sights that made up his home. There were giant fish moving through the water along the path to his father's house. Dinosaurs strolled through the valley. It was a nostalgic view for someone who hadn't been here since he was a boy. Hours later, the afternoon transitioned into sunset and Gohan arrived at the top of Mount Paozu. In front of him was a small white house connected to another small building made of brick and wood. He slowly approached the door and listened inside.

"Dad, where is the fish?" A woman said, her tone irritated but with some strange warmth.

"Uh..." A male mumbled, his voice buff but weak from age. "I think I left it outside," he admitted.

"Are you kidding me?! What if some animal snatched it up?" The woman yelled, the voice become louder to Gohan.

Suddenly, the door swung open and Gohan found himself starring at an older woman with purely black hair tied into a bun. She wore a pink dress with a purple top that contained a red sash. Her face was worn from stress and strands of hair stuck out. Her angry expression changed as she looked up in the doorway and saw him standing in front of her. The two were completely silent, neither reacting. Chichi was the first to begin moving. She slowly moved to him. "G-Gohan...?" She called out in a whisper. Her eyes poured out tears as she embraced her lost son with a tight hug. Seeing her warmth, Gohan responded in kind. His buff arms wrapped around her head as he too began to cry. The Son Family was reunited.

"I'm so sorry for leaving Mom," Gohan sobbed as the two held each other tight. She shook her head, not wanting an apology from him. All that Chichi wanted was her son back and she had it.

Gohan's grandfather, the Ox King marched to the door way and, seeing his grandson alive and well, hoisted the hugging mother and son into his arms and joined in on the crying. They didn't say anything for what seemed like an hour. They didn't need to. They were family and they were finally together again.

* * *

The three finally released each other and wiped their faces clean. "You've grown so much," Chichi said as her hand moved touched Gohan's face. She reacted in shock at her fingers traced the permanent scars that ran across his left eye and cheek. Gohan closed his eyes and simply felt her warm hands comfort him. Motherly love was something he had sacrificed when he chose to fight the Androids. He never acknowledged it but he missed his family every day. The Ox king dragged in the caught fish and Chichi began to prepare it for the three of them. Gohan and his grandfather sat at the table, discussing what had happened in the last ten years separated. Gohan mentioned to them how he saw his father, causing Chichi to tear up again slightly, and how he had defeated the Androids. By that time, dinner was served and the Saiyan enjoyed his mother's cooking for the first time in what seemed like forever. Chichi rested her head on her hand and simply smiled as she watched him eat. _He's home again._ She thought to herself.

It was at that point that Gohan spoke up about his plans. "After today, I'll be going away again," he began in a hesitant tone. Both his mother and grandfather reacted with torn faces. Seeing this only made the next part harder. "Mom, Grandpa, there's a threat in the universe that's bigger than even the Androids. Until that's over with, I can't come home. I need to make sure that the Earth's safe..." his voice trailed off. His eyes shifted to look down at his boot. He couldn't raise his head and look at his mother's sad face. It would destroy his resolve.

She placed her hands on his own and her forehead against his. "It's okay," she began. "I understand now. You're just like your father. Go and be a hero." She said supportively. Gohan finally raised his face to meet hers and saw her tear stained face. She wanted him to stay but was still accepting his decision because she loved him. He jumped out of his chair and hugged her tight, crying even more than earlier.

"I love you Mom..." he repeated until his voice was so distorted by his emotions that he was only wailing. She patted him on the head like she did when he was just a boy about to go to bed. Only a mother could calm the sobbing Saiyan.

* * *

With his goodbyes in order, Gohan exited the house before turning one more time to see them standing just outside the door waving goodbye. He returned in kind as he placed two right fingers on his forehead and vanished into thin air. Chichi began to sob again, knowing she wouldn't see him for some time. Her father tried to comfort her the best he could, though his own eyes were wet with emotion.

* * *

Gohan returned to the Briefs' home and went to see Trunks. The young boy was talking to Sixteen until Gohan caught his attention and his pupil rushed towards him. "Gohan, I thought you were going to leave without seeing me!" Trunks yelled.

Gohan shook his head and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'd never just ditch you Trunks, you're my brother. But I do have to leave soon," he added as he saw Kibito and Supreme Kai floating over the house. "I don't have much time left so I should just say it. I might be gone for a while, I have no way of knowing. So while I'm gone, you're in charge of Earth. It's a tough job but I believe in you," he finished. The two fist-bumped and Gohan approached the two kais.

"Now are you done?" Kibito growled. Gohan nodded and Kibito placed his hands on the other two. Soon, they were completely gone, returning to the Kai's home world.

* * *

Deep within the mountains, Gero's laboratory remained empty. Until a small mechanical bug drifted in, plugging itself into the computer's mainframe. Several flashes and beeps later and the bug withdrew from the computer before floating away. It would take several hours at this speed but the bug would find its destination: the arctic.

* * *

_Hey, look at that! I released a new chapter in less than a week! And it's my second longest chapter yet! Man, I really enjoyed writing this one. I know that it's mostly slow but I enjoyed the character study it provided the cast, particularly the handling of 17 and 18. And yes, I know that 17 and18 don't remember their names in canon but I preferred it this way for their development. I also really enjoyed the way I had Gohan beat 13, that was honestly my favorite part of this series so far. It perfectly summed up this opening arc (which I still have no idea what to name so if you've got an idea...) by having him rely on his new skills as well as using a really unique tactic. I also liked being able to add a little foreshadowing in that last scene since when introduced I think it will be a really cool idea. Please leave a review to ask questions and provide your opinion on the chapter! There's no Q&amp;A this time._


	12. Chapter 11: Seeking Answers

**Chapter 11: Seeking Answers**

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**Note:** _Thanks to everyone who checked out the series over the past week! Also, big thank you to StevenBodner for suggesting the first saga to be titled "The Rebirth Saga". I'm really excited to show you all where the story goes from here, moving forward. A lot of the future timeline was defined by the Androids so with that chapter out of the way there's a lot more to explore, starting here. Enjoy!_

* * *

"What are we even doing here?" Gohan muttered from under his cloak. He and the Kais were all wearing large brown robes over their normal attire, each having hoods draped over their heads. They had added these accessories in order to visit this planet without their identity being known. When Gohan asked them why the disguises were necessary, Supreme Kai explained that most planets would react with hostility if knowledge of a Saiyan was discovered.

"That is why we are here," Supreme Kai responded, pointing to the structure in the center of the planet. The structure was a giant tree with a dull grey coloring it. Not much could be seen this far away from it but what could be seen was the sinister branches that extended out of it. There were no leaves on this monster of a plant, instead the ends of branches were sharp and deadly like a knife. It was almost as though whatever life the plant had was sucked out of it long ago. Whatever remained was only a hollow shell of its former self.

Seeing as though his answer was sufficient, Supreme Kai continued walking without another word, the other two following behind. "Why is that tree important? It looks like it's already dead," Gohan continued. Supreme Kai's face turned to face him and underneath the hood Gohan could see the sadness in his eyes. This tree meant something to him, even if he wasn't saying anything about it.

_Very well then. _A voice said inside Gohan's head.

_What the-?_ the Saiyan began to speak, but his mouth didn't move. It was his mind that was talking.

_I've linked us telepathically. I can't divulge my reasoning out in the open._ Supreme Kai explained. Gohan nodded and continued walking, his eyes now shifting through the crowd of people as he wondered if they could hear them. He knew they couldn't but the situation was still uncomfortable for him. _This Tree is the reason why I am the only Supreme Kai._ Gohan halted his movement for a second before continuing.

_I thought the reason why you were the only one was because Buu took out all the others. _Gohan replied.

_It was the reason why I'm the only alive from then but that's not how the lives of us Kais work. You see, there is a tree that bears fruit from which us Kai are born. That is how I was created, as was Kibito and the Kai your father was trained by. From this tree, Supreme Kais are determined by a special golden fruit's creation. That is what resulted in my specific birth as a Kai. However, since Buu attacked our race, there have been several Kais born but not a single Supreme Kai. For a few million years, I could understand there being some time needed for our kind to recover but now this lack of Kais concerns me. I believe this is the result of someone interfering with the natural process of life for our kind_. Supreme Kai explained.

_So you're thinking this tree has something to do with no new Supreme Kais_. Gohan concluded. The tree did look suspicious to him. Though he was by no means and expert on extraterrestrial plant life, this particular one did look particularly abnormal. Given its dead look, it was as though this tree was not a natural part of the planet to begin with but instead just added to it later on. When the three got closer to it, he'd be able to know more rather than guess what the Tree's significance was. Supreme Kai nodded at his guess and the three then continued silently with the telepathy cut off.

They shuffled past hundreds on their way out of the city. In order to keep himself constantly shrouded, Gohan ended up gripping his hood for dear life. By the time that three maneuvered to the end of the buildings, Gohan's entire face was covered by his disguise. Supreme Kai chuckled at the sight and Kibito grunted to express his own amusement. Hearing their laughs from underneath the fabric mask that surrounded his face, Gohan removed his hood and looked to see them laughing at him. Realizing himself to be the joke, Gohan shook off their jokes and stepped forward.

"We're out of the city, I'm sure it'll be fine for us to fly now," he said before charging through the air. Pulling themselves together, the two followed after him.

* * *

Eventually the three arrived at the large area surrounding the tree. From the sky they could get a better look at the plant and what they saw only confirmed their beliefs. The tree's roots were not attached to the ground like a normal plant but instead placed on the planet's surface. Their eyes wandered up across the tree to see its structure had been used to create a larger building connected to the center of it. If Supreme Kai was going to get any answers, that building would have it.

They all descended nearby the city's entrance and continued pacing themselves. While the previous area was filled with traders and stands selling products, this new place was like a ghost town. Nobody was walking around, instead Gohan would spot someone cowering from behind their windows. Right away that set off some alarms in his head. Still, they needed to get to the tree so they didn't stop. Suddenly, a cloud of smoke emerged from an alley to their left, blocking their path. Gohan began to reach for his sword before Supreme Kai signaled him to stop. _Wait_, his voice echoed in Gohan's thoughts. Reluctantly, he let his arm flop back to his side.

A figure was flung out of the smoke and crashed a few feet in front of them. He was a young boy, appearing to be around Trunks' age, covered in bruises and dressed in tattered clothes. Out of one of the homes ran a woman yelling the boy's name. She held him close and he winced in pain. Whatever occurred, it left him seriously injured.

Once the smoke cleared, two men could be seen. They both were adorned in Saiyan armor. One was of average build and height and had teal hair in a pony tail. His outfit resembled Raditz', with a teal tint around each striped plate of the armor. Around his ankles were two pieces of bright pink fabric. The other was much bulkier, with orange skin and maroon hair coiled into one large strand that he draped over his shoulder guard. He wore pants that were dark red along the legs and with a dark blue center. His left arm was covered in a red cloth that started at his hand and wrapped around to his shoulder. They both had scouters on and their knuckles had what seemed like blood on them. The big one snorted as though the sight of an injured person was funny to him. With that in mind, Gohan was able to piece together what had happened.

The other one strolled over to the couple as the girl flung herself in front of the injured boy. As though he was shooing away a fly, the man lunged forward and smacked her away with the back of his hand. The boy turned and called out her name just as the bulky man kicked him in the chest. The boy yelled in pain and the two men finally began to speak.

"That's what you get for trying to steal," said the lean one.

"I wasn't trying to steal..." the boy began before the larger one pressed his foot on his head and leaned into it. "Aaah!" He squirmed underneath the monstrous boot crushing him.

"Please, someone stop them!" The girl yelled out from the side. Her face turned to look at all the frightened citizens sneaking a glance at the excitement from behind their homes. The girl's eyes finally met Gohan's and he saw them beg for help.

"You can't start a battle right here in the heart of the city. We don't even know what we're dealing with," Supreme Kai warned.

"Then it's simple, just stay back." Gohan began to approach the two vicious men in front of him. The two shook their heads at his stubbornness. He disregarded their gesture and continued moving up.

"Hey Daiz, seems that this guy's got something to say," the big one commented at the sight of Gohan. He lifted his leg up from the boy's head and kicked him over to Gohan. The Saiyan quickly grabbed him by the back of his tattered clothes and set him gently on the ground before stepping up next to the two men.

"Well, Amond," the other soldier began, "let's hear him out." They both began to crack their necks and fingers as if to seem more intimidating. Gohan only smirked at their pointless gesture.

"What's the problem here?" Gohan asked them. The big one, Amond, laughed at his question before pointing to a broken piece of fruit beside the alley they appeared from.

"This little rat tried to steal from us, the Crusher Corps. You don't steal from the crusher corps." Seeing the fruit, Gohan glanced back at Supreme Kai and Kibito.

"We're sorry, he was just hungry!" The girl said as she dragged the boy away from the sight.

The boy shook her off as he began to stand. "It wasn't hunger! It was to get the fruit's power so I could kill you bastards!" He yelled as he pointed at them with an accusing finger. "Everyone else may be too afraid to stop you but I'm done living under your rule!" He then stumbled back into the girl's arms out of fatigue. Gohan's eyes returned to face the two men who were only grinning at his outburst.

"These people live under your rule?" Gohan questioned. Their sinister faces were answer enough for him. "Well then, that seems like a problem."

"Oh, you think you're a tough guy, eh?" Daiz commented. His eyes shifted to Amond's and without another word they both smashed their fists into the ground where Gohan was standing. A small crack had formed, though in place of Gohan was his cloak. Now he was in mid-air and descending behind them. Both men's heads turned to face his back as his boots tapped the ground.

Amond barreled forward with a fist flying towards the symbol on Gohan's back, only to lose his balance as the target shifted to the right. As he spun, his hands pushed off Amond's and he twisted his leg to strike the behemoth's back. Amond stumbled forward, being replaced by Daiz as Gohan's primary assailant. The soldier tossed a flurry of punches that Gohan merely pushed off to the side with his index and middle fingers. Frustrated, Daiz tried to catch Gohan off-guard by dropping to the ground and dealing a spinning kick that the Saiyan simply hopped over. Now off ground, Gohan placed the palms of his hands on both sides of Daiz's head and spun forward. As his feet began to reach the ground, Gohan used his strength to lift Daiz and toss him forward. The man tumbled through the alley before adjusting himself so as to throw an energy blast straight at Gohan, who simply caught it with his right hand and crushed it in his grip. With said gesture the ki was quickly dispersed. Daiz's face was terrified at the display of power but it was quickly morphed into anger. He charged back at Gohan with both hands extended to fire his ki at him. Gohan's hand suddenly rose in the air and fired off his own to cancel Daiz's out.

Amond then rose from his position in the dirt and smashed his face against the side of Gohan's right cheek. Despite the cheek being slightly twisted across his face, Gohan didn't budge and his eyes slowly moved to see the fist. Amond backed up in shock. With his arm still extended, Gohan grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him towards his right knee, striking the soldier in the gut and causing him to cough up spit. Gohan let go of him, letting Amond collapse to his knees as he held his gut. Daiz now was barreling in the Saiyan's direction and a ball of ki growing in his palm. With one hand extended to face him, Gohan fired off a ki cannon that forced the soldier's attack to implode on itself and harm the user.

As the two laid on the ground, unable to continue their attempts at harming him, Gohan was surrounded by a fleet of soldiers dressed in similar attire. "Freeze!" One yelled as it stepped forward in the circle the men created. He then panicked as he saw both Daiz and Amond defeated and ran back to his initial spot.

_This is what happens when you start fighting a planet's elite warriors._ Supreme Kai's voice echoed in Gohan's mind.

_What was I suppose to do, ignore them? We learned that their tree contains fruit with powers._ Gohan retorted.

_And now we're stuck dealing with this! What do you expect us to do now_? Supreme Kai retorted.

_I'm stuck dealing with this, you grab the two kids and go. I'll see if I can get any more information this way._ With that, Gohan yelled out and created a ki barrier that pushed away all the soldiers. Using the distraction to follow his instructions, Supreme Kai and Kibito rushed to the kids and teleported away. _Good..._Gohan thought to himself as he allowed his barrier to evaporate and himself to become surrounded again. _This'll be a little embarrassing,_ he grimaced as he pretended to pass out from fatigue. The soldiers were confused at first but assumed that he overexerted himself facing Amond and Daiz. They surrounded him and began to drag him off towards the building connected to the tree.

* * *

The four appeared on the grassy field far away from the capital. The two children stumbled as Kibito released his grip on them and they fell onto the red plains. Confused, they hurriedly crawled away from the strange men who had just moved them across their planet. "W-who the hell are you?!" The boy demanded an answer from the two kais in front of him. The girl hid behind him shaking. They were terrified of them. Kibito only continued with his piercing glare but Supreme Kai stepped forward and smiled.

"I'm sorry that my friend and I frightened you. We're only here to help your planet. I was wondering if you two could tell me what's happened here," he politely asked of them. The girl seemed relieved by his words but the boy still wasn't ready to trust them.

"And how do we know this isn't a trick?" He questioned them. The two men glanced at each other confused and Supreme Kai let out a deep sigh.

"I suppose you're just naturally untrusting of others," Supreme Kai commented. "Very well then," he began. He stepped closer to the children, who backed away in response. "Our friend just saved your lives. He was captured because of that. Tell me, how could we benefit from that?" Supreme Kai began to answer the boy's questions with some of his own. He understood his hesitance but had no time for it; they needed to act quickly in order to avoid further incidents on this planet. It seemed that his words had the desired effect as the boy relaxed his body and his expression became less aggressive. "Now then, could you two please explain things?"

The two sat down and began to explain their planet's history.

* * *

_Hey, so I know that this is a significantly shorter chapter than others but I was reading through and I felt that it'd actually be better if I tried for shorter chapters that would provide a more consistent release schedule. I've also noticed that fanfics with shorter chapters but are more often released get a lot of attention. Keep in mind that by no means does this mean I'm going to let my work become sloppy as a result. I just want to pace it better. Anyways, next chapter will give us the origins of this mysterious tree as well as the planet our characters are on. And onto a very short Q&amp;A!_

* * *

**Q&amp;A:**

**Q:** _Awesome! I have a question though. Pairings?_

**A: **_This series will have pairings for both Gohan and Trunks. However, I don't see either emerging for at least another few sagas and I don't plan on revealing anymore regarding this topic until it emerges because I don't want my story to solely be defined by it early in._


	13. Chapter 12: Three Visitors

**Chapter 12: Three Visitors**

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_Five millions years ago..._

Yggdrasil was a planet whose ruby-tinted vegetation had grown to the point where it covered nearly the entire world's surface. If someone were to look at it in space, they'd see a massive red sphere. All of the plant-life had this color and as a result the world was surrounded by it. Entire fields were defined by the shade as were the hundreds of trees that made up the planet's forests.

Red became a symbol of love to the Yggdrasilian people, who valued their connection with nature greatly. Their species was full of pacifists who became one with their ecosystem, befriending the wildlife and nurturing the plants that surrounded them. This relationship resulted in the society's diet consisting entirely of fruits collected from these same plants.

The Yggdrasilians were a very human-looking species. Their bodies had the same general appearance, though they lacked eyebrows and their arms and legs were covered in scales. Their skin was light purple and their hair a light blue. Their eyes were all a pinkish hue that expressed their gentle nature. Their clothes consisted of a top and a bottom, both green, with a yellow string tied around the waist to unify the two. The fabric was slightly tattered due to how much adventuring their kind did.

Their kind had mastered the ability to fly and used their ki in order to increase the efficiency of the Yggdrasil life style. Energy blasts were relied upon in order to make fires rather than for violence. The strongest trained not for battle but to construct homes for people.

These homes were the foundation for the civilization scattered across the world. Each house was shaped like half a circle, rising out of the dirt. These structures were lined all across the cities that the Yggdrasilians developed and they allowed for a stronger sense of community. It was this powerful bond that made them seem like a perfect society.

Eventually their society would encounter another species, if only briefly. A strange man claiming to be a wizard appeared before the Yggdrasilians. He had a tiny, frail body with yellow skin. His arms were like twigs and his head was like a melon. The wizard's eyes bulged out of his head as though he was a cartoon. From the back of his head tiny prickles of hair popped out. A thick whisker rose out from each of his cheeks, extending as far as the snout that was his mouth. He wore a bright orange coat that cape that wrapped around his shoulders and covered the back of his neck down to his heels. On his chest was a black fabric that extended down to his waist where the bottom was met with a blue skirt that went all the way to his feet. In between these two clothes was a white plate with the letter "M" etched on.

As the first new life for their kind to encounter, the people welcomed him with open arms and asked him questions about his own world. The wizard gladly accepted their help but never spoke about himself. All he did give the people was a single seed. At first the Yggdrasilians were confused until he explained himself. He told them that this seed was magical and would bring them the greatest of all plants. If properly grown, it would raise a tree tall enough to reach the heavens. The people accepted this gift gratefully and followed his instructions to properly care for it. He promised them that this seed would someday lead to a beacon of hope and they believed him whole heartedly. After all, why wouldn't they? Theirs was a species unaware of deception. Just like he ordered, they dug a hole for the seed in the center of their largest city and made sure to properly care for it. As they finished this task, the wizard who provided them with it vanished without a trace. It was then that the Yggdrasilians concluded him to be a divine entity and began to worship this seed as sacred.

The tree grew very slowly over the years and with each passing day its roots dug deeper into the ground. From the seed buried beneath the earth stemmed a large grey tree trunk that rose up high into the sky. At its sides hundreds of thick and twisted branches emerged. Some of these branches dangled dark fruit that could be plucked and eaten. The food taken from nature had begun to rot in some areas and so this new food supply was initially considered a lucky break for the people who had started worrying about meals. However those who ate the fruit found themselves still hungry afterwards. Instead, their strength rose greatly. As a result of its inability to help provide for them, the Yggdrasilians ignored the fruit, as it grew rarely, and chose to continue maintaining a pacifistic lifestyle.

This philosophy had never been questioned for millions of years, until the second man to visit their planet appeared.

Unlike the wizard, who appeared and disappeared without a trace, this man made his presence known early on. Like a solar eclipse, his giant space ship encompassed the sky as it descended not far from Yggdrasil's largest city. His ship was like a robotic bug, with several pointed legs stretching out of its oval shape and balancing the machine against the ground. The side of it was black though there were small blue circles rising out of its side as the ship's windows. The top of the ship consisted of two colors: a white center circle and an orange circle bordering it from the outside. A large purple circular window came out of the front. It was a view given to the leader of the ship's crew. At the base onto the side of the ship was the simplistic white color seen on the top, though yellow rings slightly popped out and linked to the side of it.

It was a completely bizarre sight to a world built on nature. The only thing more shocking was what exited it. Dozens of soldiers made of up various species unknown to Yggdrasil lined up, each one wearing armor that consisted of a black chest plate and brown shoulder and leg guards that extended from the center part. They all stepped away from the center of the ship as a new figure appeared. He was tall and with dark pink skin covering his arms, legs, neck and face. The rest of his body was covered in plated armor that seemed to be a part of him. On his head, shoulders and stomach there was a distinctly purple gem that replaced the regular white plating in said areas. From the side of his head there were two long black horns pointing out and tilting straight up. Three long toes spread from his foot. His nails were pitch black and his lips a dark red tint. Covering the body was armor very similar to the soldiers. The colors were more distinct and powerful and the outfit was likely more sturdy due to this man seeming like the leader of the group. A cape attached to the front of his shoulder plates and hung behind his back.

The mysterious figure strolled through the city, demanding he speak with the people's leader. Though there was no official governor the Yggdrasilians often turned to the oldest member of their species for advice. As such, he was chosen to be the one to confront this new figure. The stranger introduced himself as the lord of the Frost Demons and ordered the people to submit to his will. The old man was appalled by this statement and refused to accept his wishes. Instead, the frail figure commanded this man to take his men and leave the planet immediately.

In response, the Frost Demon signaled his men to gather around a choose two homes to destroy as punishment for insubordination. With glee they fired their ki at random homes and laughed at the smoke erupting from the sight. However the leader was not satisfied with just this. Now that the old man had seen their horrors, he proceeded to thrust his hand through the elderly chest, killing him instantly. The Yggdrasilians had now lost their freedom and their hope.

Months passed with the Frost Demon Empire continuing to assimilate Yggdrasil into their ways. Despite their disapproval, they submitted without incident after the tyrannical display of power during the initial conquest. Yggdrasil's world was quickly thrown into turmoil as the Empire's soldiers forcefully occupied homes and stole food from the people, all without justification. There seemed to be no hope for their world.

However, five of them refused to accept this development. They were the strongest men and women of their kind who had trained themselves for years in hopes of becoming powerful warriors, though their people had not intended for this to be necessary. It was meant only for their kind to be more efficient and for the fun of sparring but with the arrival of the Frost Demons their power was now crucial. The strongest two were the couple Kesa and Samu, who had stepped up politically after their planet had been claimed. The other three were the brothers and sister Yaki, Kuji and Sana who were the grandchildren of the old man killed. The five together swore to avenge the lost Yggdrasilians and liberate their planet.

The morning of their planned attack they went to the tree planted millions of years before and they took one fruit for each of them. At the same time they all bit into the fruit and felt their power rise immensely. With this advantage they moved towards the Frost Demon's ship as it landed for the scheduled check-in. Slowly each member of the crew exited and they stood behind their leader. Without a word, they charged forward to strike. Each of the five chose some soldiers to take out, blasting through their hearts to quickly eliminate them.

The Frost Demon seemed only annoyed by the sudden assault. They all surrounded the tall figure and prepared to attack. The three siblings lost their patience at their targets indifference and barreled towards him with all their strength. His hands and tail quickly shot out in their directions, each one snatching them by their necks and tightening the grip. Kesa rammed his elbow into the back of the tyrant's head, causing him to release his hold and allowing the others to jump away in time for Samu to fire off a powerful energy beam from her mouth. Smoke engulfed the figure and caused it to be lost in the dark cloud. The other four continued the advantage by releasing similar blasts in order to increase the size of the smoke and overwhelm their foe. There was no movement seen below. Feeling victorious, the five relaxed themselves and looked towards each other with smiling faces.

Within a fraction of a second, the Frost Demon shot out from the smoke and buried his horn through Yaki's stomach. He yelled out in pain as the monster continued to swing his head around and force the horn to slide around the hole formed from the wound. His family flew to his defense before the horned man tossed the injured the warrior off his horn and pointed his left index figure out towards him. As Kuji and Sana moved to catch their brother, a tiny ball of energy flew from the outstretched finger towards the drifting body, causing it to explode upon impact and leaving the two stunned. Without any effort, their brother had been erased from existence.

Enraged, Sana disregarded her own safety and lunged at the cold-hearted killer. She threw a flurry of punches and kicks that all narrowly missed their target as the Frost Demon twisted his body from side to side. Finally, he retaliated by having his tail wrap around her right heel and halt her attacks. He slowly inched forward as she tried to escape his grip and his lips bent into a sinister grin that horrified her. His right hand smothered her face as he applied enough pressure to crush it. After hearing a loud and disgusting crack, he released her and watched with pride as the lifeless corpse fell into the dirt. The Frost Demon's eyes now focused on the remaining sibling, Kuji, and he began to drift towards him. Seeing this, Kesa jumped in the way and began to attack with all he had. He pressed the tyrant back as far as he could while his wife tried to pull Kuji away from the scene. Now they understood the futility of their efforts.

Kesa's hits were at least landing, though they didn't have the desired effect. The man only glared at him as Kesa moved as fast he could to not give the Frost Demon a chance to catch him. He planted each new hit in a different area, never forming a pattern that could let him be caught. The enemy grew tired of this scenario however and the Frost Demon's eyes lit up as two pink beams charged outward and straight into the escaping Kuji's back. He was dead on impact. The body went limp and was carried away by the acceleration built up from when the living man was flying away.

Kesa's eyes wandered to the sight and caused him to lose focus on what was in front of him. The Frost Demon finally responded to the blows dealt to him by the Yggdrasilian warrior and he quickly thrust his knee into his enemy's gut. Kesa coughed up blood and gasped for air just as his opponent stretched his hand out to Kesa's face. The injured party looked back to his wife whose eyes were streaming with tears. It was the last thing he saw before his head was disintegrated before the ki blast fired against it.

Now it was just the Frost Demon and Samu. Without Kesa, she had nothing left in the world and so she decided to fight with all she had. Unknown to anyone except her murdered lover, there was a backup plan: an extra fruit. Samu quickly dug her teeth into the rough skin their great tree provided them and felt the sweet taste increase her power. She felt herself become overwhelmed by it. With a roar she rocketed towards the Frost Demon and planted her fist into his gut. Within seconds she swapped positions to having her leg crash against the side of his head. She was infuriated and would not let up, building upon each strike with a ferocious desire that spoke out against her entire species' belief: kill. She leaped back and opened her mouth to begin charging a ki blast more powerful than anything ever seen by her kind. The ball was so full of ki it lit up the sky and hundreds of her people looked up to see the glowing sight. Samu released the blast and watched it tunnel towards the Frost Demon and completely decimate his armor.

It stopped at his chest.

The beam pushed against the jeweled area for a long time before slowly dissipating. Samu felt her body grow weary and her eye lids become heavy. Unlike her husband, the last thing she saw wasn't the one she loved most. It was the Frost Demon's twisted smile.

The Frost Demon turned to see a city far off in the distance and deemed it worthy of punishment for this attempt at his life. With the snap of his finger, his target erupted in flames and he laughed at his handy work before determining his business was finished and leaving on his ship with his remaining crew. Yggdrasil would never challenge the Frost Demon Empire again.

Nearly a hundred years passed without incident. The planet had finally accepted their fate in servitude to the Frost Demons and followed all orders completely and efficiently. While soldiers had usually occupied the planet to inspect Yggdrasil, they had recently pulled out in order to show that they trusted the people with maintaining their responsibilities as a part of the empire.

It was during this time that a space pod landed outside the city, forming a deep crater that stayed there ever since. In a panic people ran towards the sight believing it to be a meteor. When they finally reached it they were horrified to see it was one of the devices used by the Empire to send soldiers to visit them. Shortly after its arrival the front of the pod opened out and a tall figure emerged. His body was dressed in the same armor as the regular soldiers, though the color was grey rather than the usual. Instead of gloves he wore wrist guards made of the same material as his suit and around his waist was a belt of fur formed by his tail. He looked human but his skin was a grey shade like that of his outfit and his hair was in an unusual style. Spikes emerged from the left and right sides of his head. On his left ear was a strange device that extended to his left eye.

As he looked around, his face remained indifferent. Without a word he walked out of the crater and proceeded to enter the city. He walked straight forward, never interacting with all the people at his sides that whispered about him. Finally he halted when he reached the enormous tree that Yggdrasil loved. A few guards stood by it to defend their prized possession and approached him asking what his purpose was. Rather than answer their question he asked them if the tree's fruit really gave people power. His words exposed his intentions and set off a dangerous alarm in both guards' heads. They ordered him to move away. The figure replied by crashing his fist into the nose of one man, sending him flying into a building and causing it to collapse. The other man proceeded to back up slowly before being snatched by his shirt and held up in the air. He demanded that his questions be answered, otherwise this man would end up like the other. The guard told the man all he knew about the tree out of fear for his own life.

Satisfied with the response, the man released his hold on the guard and flew up to approach the tree. He reached his hand out and plucked a golden fruit straight off the tree and dug his teeth into it. Suddenly his body bulked up and his eyes lost their pupils as the man devoured the fruit like a wild animal. After finishing, he wiped his lips with his wrist before returning to the ground where the Yggdrasilians had surrounded his spectacle. He introduced himself as Turles, the Saiyan warrior and ordered the people to submit to his rule. When they asked him about the Frost Demons, the man replied by saying he killed them and was their new leader.

At first they were doubtful but their suspicions were erased when a few days later the Frost Demon ship they grew to fear descended onto their planet. Unlike the expected ruler they grew to fear, several soldiers exited and claimed to be subordinates of the man Turles. With their former Emperor's ship now owned by this new figure, the people had no choice but to believe his stories. They had learned their lessons from the previous tyrant and submitted to his will.

Turles was not seen by the people as cruel a leader as the Frost Demons. He never interacted with the people, choosing to spend all his time alone in the throne room attached to their tree. However, his wickedness seemed to emerge when Yggdrasil's food supply dwindled to scraps. The trees and plants they had lived for millions of years on had all withered into nothing as the tree grew. They begged for the fruit of their tree in order to stave off starvation but Turles constantly denied them. Those who tried to steal the fruit were publicly executed. The nightmare only continued for Yggdrasil.

Not long after their food started to run out, Yggdrasil was greeted with three more visitors. These men wore robes that shrouded their faces and shuffled through the crowds without speaking. As they entered the main city, they witnessed a boy being attacked by two of Turles' soldiers. While two of the men stood back, one of the men walked forward and removed his robe to expose the orange gi underneath.

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_Well this was fun to write! I really liked creating a whole mythos to the Tree of Might that incorporated the Kaioshins and I really like Turles design-wise so I'm excited to develop his character. For those wondering, the OCs in this chapter were primarily for developing the general history so don't worry, I'm not planning on going a route where most of the cast are OCs. I just gave them names to make the fight easier to read. Also, all of their names came from messing around with the names of certain fish in Japanese so there's a fun fact. Anyways, now that the origins are over I'll be continuing with the main plot now. Onto the Q&amp;A!_

**Q: **_Great job with this story! C: I'm curious though, in this story, did the Tree of Might movie happen? I mean considering the Crusher Corps are still around I'd guess not, but you never know haha. It would be cool if Gohan ended up recognizing them or something._

**A:**_ No, Tree of Might didn't happen in this timeline. The only films that did occur are Cooler's Revenge and another one I'll reveal later. Also, thanks for the praise._

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_I'll see if I can pump out another chapter soon. My goal is to try and make a schedule like every Sunday and Wednesday but we'll see._


	14. Chapter 13: The Mad King

**Chapter 13: The Mad King**

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_I just have a real quick thing to add before this chapter begins; I renamed the series (again) to The Recusant's Fate. Someone left a review that pointed this out to me and asked why I do this so I figured I should explain. Originally the series was called "Another Road" as a reference to the PSP game but I didn't really like the name since it didn't require much thought and other DBZ fanfics had this title. I then called the series "Fate of the Recusant" because it's primarily a story about Gohan, who was supposed to die fighting the Androids, miraculously surviving. However, the title seemed too passive to me. However, I liked the "fate" part of it so I reused it with the third series name "A shattered Fate." The problem with this title? It implies that the story will just be extremely grim and depressing. As a result, I went to a more active version of the second title since I really did like using "recusant," which led to the current (and final) title: The Recusant's Fate. I've decided that it's simple and appealing. This will be the final title for the series and will never receive a change from now on. However, I have decided that if I ever do a prequel that basically explains everything from Namek to the Prologue, I'd call that series "A Shattered Fate" since the title would be appropriate there. Sorry for the long explanation, please enjoy!_

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The armored soldiers opened the large doors that led to the throne room. Gohan's eyes wandered from his feet to in front of him, following the long trail made by a blood red carpet. He was then pushed from behind by Daiz and, understanding the message, started moving forward. As he approached the throne itself, Amond kicked his feet off the ground and forced him to sit on his knees. After giving the man an angry glare, Gohan turned his face to the man sitting in front of him.

His eyes widened as he saw his father. At least, that's who he thought this figure was at first. The man had Goku's iconic hair style but aside from that was completely different. His skin was a shade of gray and he wore armor. Around his waist Gohan saw a tail that clued him into this stranger being a Saiyan. Around this man's neck was a white cape similar to Piccolo's but without covering the shoulders. His face was full of boredom. From the wall behind him there was a hole where a branch, dangling fruit, entered and floated by the side of the chair. "Who's this?" The man finally spoke up. His voice was deep and sinister but most of all, annoyed. He clearly didn't like to be bothered.

Amond stepped forward to explain. "Lord Turles, this man aided a thief and allowed him to escape our custody." Turles' eyebrows twitched at the words.

"A thief? The one who stole my fruit?" He had moved from his original position resting his cheek on his fist to a more proper one with his back straight. Amond nodded in response. "Well, did you find my fruit? Where is it?" His expression seemed much less composed than when Gohan first looked at him only moments before.

"Unfortunately, the fruit was lost during the-" Amond began to explain before Turles jumped out of the chair and head-butted him. Whether the blow was too sudden for him to guard or Turles' strike was too powerful was unknown, but regardless it sent the Crusher corps' member tumbling across the carpet. He stumbled back onto his feet before kneeling before the Saiyan. Turles quickly nodded to signal his forgiveness before turning his eyes to the 'prisoner.'

"You helped this thief?" He bent down to face Gohan.

"Your men were assaulting an innocent kid, what do you expect from me?" He said. His retort made all the men save Turles gasp. No one ever challenged their lord. Turles only frowned and stood back up.

"Very well then," he began as he turned his back to Gohan. "You shall die!" He yelled as he spun back around and fired a purple ball of ki straight at Gohan's chest. The blast pushed back and onto his feet, dragging the carpet behind his boots. With a little effort, he broke from his restraints and slapped the blast away, creating a hole in another wall.

"I see, you were feigning weakness. You may come at me with all your strength!" Turles declared as he swiped his arm to the side and stood defenseless as if to challenge him. Gohan glared at him and began to shift into his stance. The attack from before hadn't done any damage to him but he was facing a Saiyan and that alone was concerning. Within seconds they had moved from their positions opposite of the room and were now floating in the center with their knees and elbows colliding. A loud boom echoed across the room, followed by a wave of pressure that pushed Turles' grunts into the walls.

Gohan took the initiative, swinging his free leg to Turles' side. It made direct contact with his ribs and caused him to spin in midair. Using the momentum to his advantage Turles responded by propelling his fist upwards and striking Gohan in the chin. Gohan pushed off the sealing as he barreled upwards and threw a punch downwards. In a flash, he was back on the ground with Turles' chest underneath his fist. Suddenly his hand was slapped away by the tail previously worn as a belt by the Saiyan. Turles wrapped his legs around Gohan and pulled him forward to meet his forehead. The two fell back in opposite directions and the grip around Gohan loosed as Turles jumped back, firing a volley of blasts straight at his chest.

A few swipes from Gohan's hand split the group of orbs into pieces and left him without any damage. Within seconds the two were locked into melee again, this time their hands had started pushing against the other's and their fingers were digging into their opponent's hands. Their feet pressed off the floor to step forward but neither side would give. The pressure continued until the cracks underneath the floor crashed in and they fell down. Their hold on each other instantly ended as they dashed off the falling rubble and returned to the damaged throne room. Turles stood by his chair while Gohan landed by the entrance, placing them on opposite sides. "HA!" They both screamed as beams of ki erupted from their right hands towards the other, Gohan's consisting of yellow energy and the enemy Saiyan's being a bright purple. Just above the hole in the floor the lines met and formed a large sphere, split in half by the attacks' respective colors. Realizing that his opponent wasn't giving up, Turles held out his left hand and began forming a weaker ball of ki. Once the energy had properly formed he jumped back from the beam struggle and swung with his left hand, tossing it into the now primarily yellow sphere and causing it to implode.

Gohan smashed into the tall bronze doors behind him from the impact of Turles' move, barely regaining balance before a knee drilled into his stomach and elevated him up. Just as suddenly as his body had risen, it came crashing down once Turles' interlocked hands struck his back. He stretched out a hand to lessen the fall but only felt relief for a moment as another hit came from his right cheek. Now Gohan found himself buried into a wall and leaving a mark that resembled his position upon contact. His eyes focused on the Saiyan in front of him. Turles' hand was facing up into the air and above it was a half-eaten dark red falling down. He snatched it out of the air and brought it up to his lips. Soon after there was the distinct sound of chewing coming from his direction. He paused to swallow and cast aside the remains to Amond, who quickly grabbed hold of it and took a bite himself. The soldier then turned to Daiz and offered him a piece, who accepted it without hesitation. He proceeded to eat as well and eventually the three had finished with their meal.

Suddenly their eyes lit up and their muscles bulked out for a brief second before returning to their normal size. The small window of time was enough to tempt Gohan to notice all three men had increased their energy drastically. While Daiz and Amond were still no challenge to Gohan, Turles' power had risen from just being distinctly lower than Gohan's to just barely. Yggdrasil's tyrant then snapped his fingers and from three more soldiers entered the room. One was tall and had red skin, though that was barely visible given that the rest of his boy was encased in some strange silver metal. The other two looked like twins, each with short and plump figures that showed off bright purple skin and bumps along the top of their heads. Gohan looked over them but still wasn't too concerned. It was Turles that came off like the real threat. The five other than him moved closer to Gohan as their leader approached the tree branch by his chair.

"Do you have any idea how valuable this fruit is? How much can be done with a single bite?" He yelled out. He reached out and plucked a few more pieces of fruit from the branch. He tossed one to Daiz on the right side of the room and the other to one of the twins on the left. He then grabbed a piece for himself and began to chomp down on it, causing the sound of dripping juice to be heard from the silent throne. Gohan could now feel all six foes' rising ki. _The fruit's causing this?_ He began to deduce the cause but was then assaulted by the Crusher Corps, minus their leader, all charging at him. Amond jumped high up until he neared the sealing and crashed down onto Gohan. From the impact alone a crater formed underneath them as the soldier's fists pounded against the wrists raised in a defensive stance. The red figure then moved in from behind and sent his arm straight for his enemy's neck. The dagger-shape formed by the extended fingers slightly grazed the neck as Gohan tilted to the side and watched Amond step back to avoid letting his teammate's momentum injure him.

Daiz then appeared from above and pushed off the ceiling with both fists extended. Gohan used both palms to block the hits, only to leave himself wide open as the twins moved in from the sides and fired off two orbs of ki. He hurdled over them and spun around to kick Daiz into the meeting point between the two blasts, enabling him to briefly stun one enemy. Now Amond rocketed towards him with his leading the charge. Gohan had no chance to dodge and was forced to feel the full brunt of the assault as Amond's head barreled into its target's gut. Some saliva splashed onto his armor that Gohan coughed up as he winced in pain. Despite their lower power levels they all were able to work well together to catch him off guard and leave him wide open. Daiz's feet then landed on top of Amond's back and he fired a point-blank range ki blast at Gohan's face. The destination vanished immediately from view, leaving Amond to charge into the wall with nothing between it and his head. The two turned to see Gohan charging up a Kamehameha just as he uttered the last syllable and blasted them through the building.

From outside the citizens looked to see their hated rulers be flung outside the building injured. Some began to run to them immediately to learn what was happening and others hesitated due to their fears of the Crusher Corps.

The two twins grabbed onto Gohan's shoulders and flew out of the hole made in the wall with him. Once in the air, they flung him up and began to throw a massive barrage of ki. Each one tossed at him coiled at different angles, never striking from the same position. He slapped them away as much as possible before one nailed him in the right knee. The impact made him tilt slightly and lose his control over the situation. Now hundreds of blasts were connecting with his body, pushing him further and further up in the sky. While individually they weren't powerful, each one stung slightly until Gohan felt pain everywhere.

The two twins jumped back onto the ground and brought their hands together. They pulled them back and then pushed their arms forward, sending off four thin purple beams that combined over their time into one giant blast that emerged through the smoke cloud Gohan was surrounded by. His eyes flared and he swung his arms into a crossed shape around his chest just in time to form a sphere of cyan-colored ki that guarded him from the full force of the soldiers. The ball dissipated and he glanced to the right to see the robotic soldier swing a fist that nearly struck his chin if not for Gohan tilting his back slightly. The man continued his attempts with his other fist, now aiming for the ribs. The blow was blocked by his foe's left palm and Gohan wrapped his fingers around the balled hand and pulled him forward. His knee struck the metallic armor in the chest, cracking it slightly. His grip loosened as the man pulled away, causing him to stumbled backwards. Gohan zoomed up close and swung his hands behind the man's head, pulling his arms back and forcing the foe to face the ground before making contact once Gohan's elbow sent him there.

The Yggdrasilians watched him in disbelief. They pointed to him and began mumbling to each other.

"Is someone actually challenging them?"

"Challenging? Are you kidding, look! He's beating them!"

"Be quiet! Do you want them to punish us?"

"Forget that! Get them kid!"

They started cheering at the sight of someone finally fighting back against the oppression. Gohan's eyes wandered to the crowd and he smiled. _Yeah, this feels right..._His view then shifted to the crater Daiz and Amond rose from. He saw them glare at the crowd with the rest of their team. Amond was the only one to retaliate, sending a ball of ki large enough to wipe out the entire city at the citizens. Before the blast could even reach them Gohan had teleported in front of it and was using both hands to stop it in its tracks. Despite their difference in power, Amond's blast was still formidable. His boots picked up dirt from behind and began to form a pile as the attack pushed him back. Gohan then pulled his right arm back and relied on only his left to hold it at bay. He coiled his hand into a fist and rocketed it forward. The punch bounced the ki straight back at its owner. Amond was caught by the blast and tunneled into the building that housed Turles who was still out of sight.

The building exploded and was buried in smoke. Both the Yggdrasilians and the Crusher Corps stared at the sight. The smoke was quickly gone, revealing half of the building still standing. The throne room could be seen from outside now and Turles was facing them all now. In front of himself he was holding his hand out and a half circle was around the building. "He blocked that?" Gohan heard some of the people whisper. The Saiyan held another piece of fruit in his hands, this one nearly eaten.

"He's been eating those while I fought off his men?" Gohan wondered aloud. He had been trying to avoid publicly using the Super Saiyan transformation but Turles might require it depending on how strong he had become. His thought process was cut off shortly once Daiz's foot struck his left cheek. Gohan's head turned slightly to the right from the blow but he still seemed unharmed.

"Bastard!" Daiz yelled as he pushed away and fired a wave of ki with all the strength he had. The other three joined in on the barrage and buried Gohan in it. He stepped out of the purple cloud of ki, surrounded by a thick white aura that caused each new attack to turn into smoke. Gohan sighed and shook his head. They had been stalling so Turles could eat more fruit. That was a problem he needed to fix. He dashed in between the four and began his final assault: a punch to the robotic face, a kick to Daiz's chin, a karate chop to each of the twins necks. The entire motion happened within seconds. To the spectators, the four men just fell down.

Gohan met Turles' eyes and the two paused for a while. One of them was standing in the middle of a crater while the other was towering above him in his destroyed throne room. They leaped towards one another and threw punches from their right arms. Their fists met in the air and sent them both flying backwards. Turles was the first to adjust as he found a way to stop his momentum with the edge of the broken building. He kicked off the scorched walls and jumped down to his opponent. His leg was guiding him, leading his foot into Gohan's left shoulder. Gohan swung so the leg only struck his side, allowing for Turles' feet to crash into the ground instead of directly into him. He spun around and kicked him in the back before following up with a volley of punches and kicks at the back armor. Each hit turned Turles onto a different angle, the punches spinning him downward before the kick returned him back up. Finally Gohan pulled his body back and moved into a strange and wild position. "Wolf Fang Fist!" He roared while his fingers dug into Turles' shoulder like a beast's fangs. He leaned forward and placed his hands on the ground while bringing his legs forward and kicking backwards into Gohan's face. The orange-clad fighter flew back before mimicking the previous attack and using his fingers to dig into the dirt and stop his movement.

They both were panting now and glaring at each other hatefully. "Why are you even here?" The tyrant yelled at him. "Do you want my fruit? Do you want my tree? Y-you can't have it! It's mine! Mine!" He pointed his thumb at his face as though that solidified his claims.

"I don't care about your fruit, I care about what you're doing here to these people." That was entirely true but that at least was his reason for fighting. The Kais could deal with the tree on their own later. Turles seemed confused by his response.

"You don't want my fruit?" He paused. "N-no, you w-w-want it! I can see it in your eyes, you're lying!" He had started stuttering now and his body was shaking violently. His power was rising exponentially, sending off waves of pressure that decimated the nearby area. He vanished from sight and showed himself in front of Gohan. He threw a right jab across Gohan's face before tossing another punch from his left. He continued pressing him back with this pattern of punches until Gohan's mouth was leaking blood. He snagged a hold of the blue shirt underneath the orange gi and pulled him up into the air. "You keep trying to steal from me! They keep trying to steal from me! She keeps trying to steal me!" His arm was shaking, giving Gohan the chance to give Turles' wrist a karate chop and escape his hold.

"Who is 'she'?" Gohan asked him. This might be the information Supreme Kai needed.

"Don't pretend you don't know! You hear her too!" He leaped at Gohan and fired off a massive energy blast that was kicked up into the air. The attack was just a diversion however, as Turles' knee crashed into Gohan's forehead. He followed up by putting his hands together and smacking him up into the sky. "Tell her this is mine!" His voice was echoing across the city and he had begun shooting hundreds of small ki blasts around the entire area around his enemy. It was like a minefield with no way to dodge the oncoming the damage. The Saiyan sent a final blast straight at the ball facing Gohan, setting all of the blasts off. He watched as the regular clouds became replaced by a giant grey one. "Don't think you can hide from me!" He tapped the button on his scouter. "Let's see..." Suddenly it exploded in his face, temporarily blinding him. He growled in frustration before shooting out hundreds of ki blasts that only fed the cloud, making the gas spread farther and cast a giant shadow over the city.

In a flash Gohan emerged before Turles with his hands pressed on his forehead, one in front of the other. In the center of the palm there was a bright yellow orb that was rapidly growing in power. "Masenko!" His arms moved out in front of his chest with the orb following soon after. The yellow energy made a large beam that consumed Turles and pushed him into the tree he had relied on for power. When he collided with the tree, the yellow ki exploded, blinding everyone in a bright and powerful light. _It isn't over, I can sense him still..._Gohan hesitated to approach the area where Turles was.

Turles teleported in front of the smoke, clearly injured. His armor was noticeably damaged, the right shoulder plate broken off, and his forehead now had a deep cut that caused blood to leak down his face. He wiped the dirt off his cheek and glared at him. "Is that all? Well then..." he paused before bringing his left hand from behind to the front. In his hand was an orange fruit with spiky edges. "...This'll be over quickly."

_Dammit!_ Gohan swung his hands to his right side and began to charge up a Kamehameha. His ki shot into yellow as his eyes began to glow teal and his hair rose up and flashed a gold tint. Turles had buffed up even more now and was becoming a legitimate threat for him. The people began to run away as their planet shook. "HA!" Gohan yelled as his hands moved to face Turles and the blue beam of ki moved to collide with the ball its target had retaliated with.

A loud boom later and the two Saiyans were clashing across the sky, landing blow after blow on each other. Their fists struck each other's chests causing them both to gasp for air. Turles spun around and threw his foot towards the right of Gohan's neck only to have it be blocked by the side of his wrist. Gohan pushed it away and leaned forward. His advancing knee was halted by Turles' two hands catching it before it crashed into his neck. He pushed it back down and attempted to use his new momentum to head-butt the half-Saiyan. However his opponent had done the same and they both were stunned for a few seconds. Gohan recovered first and proceeded to plant a fist against Turles' cheek. The hit connected at perfect downward angle that caused him to smash against his throne and collapse the building entirely.

The clacking of boots touching the ground sounded Gohan's approach as Turles stumbled out of the rubble. "You...you're a Saiyan aren't you?" He began to finally talk about something under than the tree. Gohan nodded. "Why are you working with her then? She's the exact opposite of us! She-shut up!" He yelled as he held his head in agony. He fell onto his knees and began screaming.

"What's happening?" Gohan muttered at the sight of the wailing Saiyan. Turles finally became quiet and rose off the ground. His eyes were wild like an animal and his hands were clamped shut so hard that blood was leaking out of them. He released one single cry before firing off a massive ki blast, similar to Amond's in its intentions though far more powerful. "Dammit, what is wrong with this guy?!" Gohan yelled as he proceeded to hold it back with two beams of ki quickly shot out of his own hands. The beams hit each side of the approaching sphere, holding it at bay slightly. He turned to the Yggdrasilians watching him in horror. "Go! Now!" He ordered them. He couldn't manage to protect them while facing off against Turles. Suddenly he saw said foe's silhouette float into the air above him. He raised his hands up to the sky, putting his wrists together before flinging them back down and releasing a ball of black ki. You've got to be kidding me...

Before the newest attack connected with giant one facing off against Gohan, it was slapped back at Turles, who was caught off guard and barely stopped it. At the same time, the ball holding Gohan off flashed white before shrinking down into nothing. He looked up to see a sight that made him laugh with relief. He saw Kibito and Supreme Kai floating in the air above him and facing Turles. Kibito's right hand was smoking from confronting the black orb, while Supreme Kai's eyes were looking at Gohan and a bright light was fading from them. He leaped up to the meet them both. "What took you so long?" Gohan asked.

"Unlike you, we decided to figure out what we're dealing with before jumping headlong into this," Supreme Kai lectured. Gohan could only look down and awkwardly chuckle. "Regardless," Supreme Kai now glared at Turles. "It's three on one. I'd advise you surrender. As it currently stands you have no chance of winning."

Turles' rage was evident by the veins running along his face. His tail was shaking from side to side. "I knew it! You're all with her! I can see it!" He said, pointing to Supreme Kai. "You're just like her! Well you can all just shut up and die!" He screamed.

_Calm down Turles._

"Get out!"

_I can't. You put me here._

"Shut up!"

_No. You're going to listen._

"Shut up! Shut up!"

_Turles, please just-_

"Shutupshutupshutupshupshutup!"

The Saiyan covered his ears and his ki was rising rapidly. Very quickly he froze entirely and held out his hand. His face no longer showed any emotion. A bright ball was now in his hands. He finally made eye-contact and smirked. "You'll all be quiet soon." He whispered.

He turned to his back to them and tossed the newly formed sphere out into the sky. It froze high above them. The hand that formed it reached out and balled into a fist. With this motion the bright ball blew up into an even larger shape, mirroring a moon. "A moon? No!" Gohan yelled out. The two Kais looked back from hearing the outburst before their attention returned to Turles upon hearing a loud roar.

His skin became buried in dark brown fur and his eyes turned entirely red. His body grew several times larger alongside his armor, casting a shadow over the entire city. His nails turned completely black and his skin an even darker grey. His face grew out to reveal a snout containing sharpened teeth. He had transformed into an Oozaru.

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_Alright, so now chapter 13 is done! I said I plan to make a release schedule that's twice a week but I don't plan to initiate that until after Final Exams are done and I can start off my new semester fresh. That being said, I think that I might be able to type up a larger chapter (around what I was putting out before I disappeared for a few months) later this week in order to wrap up this particular saga and then move onto another one that I'm excited about. Anyways, that's it for this week. Unfortunately as not many people leave reviews and even less leave questions, I have no Q&amp;A for this week. Though to be fair, is it a good thing that no one's asking questions? Does it mean that what I'm writing is clear so you don't need to clarify anything? I honestly have no idea at this point but I would like to see more people commenting on the story since I think it's fun to see people's reactions. Regardless, thanks for reading this chapter and for supporting this story so far! As of today this story has reached 10,000 views! I doubt that's a lot for most fanfics but until this one reaches that level I'll just pat myself on the back for each milestone! See you soon!_


	15. Chapter 14: The Beast That Ate the World

**Chapter 14: The Beast That Ate the World**

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The giant monkey released a fearsome roar that shook the city and caused several citizens running away in terror to stumble. It was a creature like no other, enormous in size and just as ferocious. His eyes were pure red, reflecting its blood lust. It's head shifted down and looked at the three men not far from his feet. They all stared back in shock.

"Such a sinister transformation..." Kibito whispered timidly to himself. Turles was powerful before but now he outclassed the Supreme Kai's assistant by a drastic amount. As he stood there paralyzed with fear the beast's mouth opened wide, exposing a bright purple light from within. The light only grew brighter before revealing itself to be a beam of energy targeted at the fighters.

"Kibito, move!" Gohan yelled as he threw himself into the stunned Kai and moved him out of the blast's vicinity. The blast impacted with the ground and smoke erupted from its location. Supreme Kai descended beside them and helped his friends up to their feet.

"I knew about your species' ability to transform but there's no moon for this Turles to rely on," the ancient Kai muttered to the others.

"Well, some Saiyans are able to substitute that moon for something similar. Vegeta used it back on Earth against my father," Gohan replied. Luckily, his experience back then would come in handy. "He might look intimidating but right now all we need to do is cut off his tail and he'll be back to his usual size."

"If that's the case, then with all three of us being here this shouldn't be a problem," Kibito agreed. It was true, with both he and Gohan equipped with some form of instantaneous movement, they'd only need one of the two to attack while Turles was distracted.

"No." Supreme Kai uttered the word with a grim tone. The other two looked over in confusion.

"What do you mean 'no'? Trust me, I know how this works!" Gohan retorted. Supreme Kai only shook his head in response.

"As it currently stands, the tree is still our biggest threat here. Look over at him now," the Kai instructed. The two did so and gasped at what they saw. The giant Turles had transformed into had begun tearing off several branches containing fruit and shoving them down his giant throat. "At the rate he's going, it won't be long until he's eaten everything."

_Dammit..._Gohan could only clench his fists at the sight. Why was it that every time he grew stronger, so did his foes? It was like the universe itself disapproved of his existence. He was stronger than Nappa, Frieza and the Androids and still could only feel his power become more and more irrelevant as time went on. As it currently stood, Turles was stronger than him now with the power boosts of his transformation and the fruit. It was unlikely that he'd be able to stop him with just his strength alone.

"Supreme Kai, Kibito, do you think if I moved him you'd be able to take care of the tree in the meantime?" Gohan asked the two. They both turned away from the spectacle Turles was making to face their friend. His eyes showed them he was dead serious. There was no way Turles would let them defile his prized plant while he was here. The only way to destroy it while he was still around would be if they moved him. They nodded to show their approval of the plan. "Alright then, I'm up." Gohan muttered the words and began taking in deep breaths. He wasn't nervous but he knew for this to work, he'd need to rush the hulking figure right away and grab a hold of him before the Oozaru could react. For that to work, he'd need to use the form he discovered during training for the Androids.

In a flash the ground around him split into several cracks and dust began to gather around him. His ki grew brighter alongside his muscular figure until he felt his body reach its fullest level of the form. The monkey began to pound against his chest, clearly unaware of what was happening. That was good for Gohan, the easier the better. He dashed forward, ready to grab a hold of the beast at the first chance he could get.

Finally, Gohan's movements drew Turles' attention, as shown by his sudden glance over to what looked like a flying ant. Not thinking much of him, the Monkey attempted to swat him away with his tail, only to barely miss the target. "Hrrr..." it growled before now becoming more aggressive with its target. The beast tried stomping the ant into the ground this time. A loud boom echoed from the ground and beneath the foot, red ooze emerged around it.

Gohan grimaced at the sight of Turles' foot covered in the blood of his former soldiers. The Crusher Corps had been flattened while lying unconscious in their crater. He had nearly been caught in that attack himself but luckily saw it in enough time to properly avoid it. Still, the knowledge that he could've been with the rest of the men in that pile made him shudder. However, now he was close enough to grab a hold of the beast and so he did. Placing one hand firmly around the furry leg and his two of the other hand's fingers onto his forehead, he vanished along with Turles.

With both gone, the Kais took this as their cue to charge forward and approach the tree. Supreme Kai rested his hand on the tree and closed his eyes. In the darkness, all he could see was the negative energy surrounding the tree. It was an ancient power that he had not felt in hundreds of years. He could feel Babidi's influence over the giant plant. He opened his eyes and stepped back towards Kibito. In a flash, he fired off two beams of ki from his eyes towards the roots sticking into the ground. The wood caught on fire before a purple flame appeared from the point of impact and swallowed the flames in itself before evaporating.

"The tree has been guarded from destruction," Kibito observed. His master only nodded before holding out his hands and sending out even more powerful balls of ki. Once again, the flames were dissipated by the cursed spell.

"Again!" Supreme Kai yelled out.

* * *

Gohan and Turles reappeared in a wasteland far off from the city. They drifted slightly in mid-air before the Oozaru became aware of his surroundings and began attacking everything in sight. "I guess you didn't like being taken so far from your precious fruit?" Gohan teased. The line had its desired effect, causing Turles to turn to him and begin his assault on the Super Saiyan. He started smashing his oversized hands at Gohan, who barely dashed to the side.

With each blow to the planet, the shock waves made Gohan lose more control over himself, eventually stumbling backwards in the air. Whether Turles could comprehend the advantage or not was unclear but regardless a barrage of attacks began. His right hand zoomed towards the yellow fighter before the index finger shot out and flicked him into the ground. Despite the simple gesture, blood splashed out of the Saiyan's mouth onto the giant finger and his breathing became harder.

"Dammit, that was all just with one hit?" He wondered to himself as he pressed off the rocks beneath him and leaped back into the sky. This new form was draining enough already but with the wound to his stomach he could already feel himself giving in. He beat his fist against his chest gently so as to calm himself. "I just need to get to the tail." He removed the Z-Sword from his back and glared at the target. It'd be easy with teleportation normally but with the rapid and unpredictable movements Turles' tail made, he couldn't simply finish it with a single planned attack. If he missed the first strike, his opponent would catch on quick enough to retaliate. That had to be avoided at all costs.

He charged straight at the beast's face, tossing his sword at point blank range towards the foe's giant red eye. The monster only groaned in confusion as he began to swat the blade with his left hand. Just then Gohan emerged above the swinging hand and threw his own fist into it. A shockwave rocketed out as the furry hand was flung down to Turles' side.

Now the Z-Sword was only a few meters from its target. the Monkey winced in fear but felt nothing come. His eyes slowly opened to the see neither the weapon nor the orange clad warrior in front of him. Instead, the two had appeared beside his tail and Gohan started his downward swing towards it. In a flash Turles spun around, smacking Gohan backwards with the long tail and leaving him buried within a mountain.

He felt his hold over the Z-Sword loosen and the blade tumbled downward. His right arm had taken the full force of the impact with Turles' tail and now his fingers couldn't even wrap around the weapon's hilt. Dragging himself out of the mountain, he stared back at Turles and eyed him closely. He lacked any sort of focus for the battle now. He was entertaining himself by smashing random rock formations instead. Just as quickly as he snapped at Gohan he had lost his focus on the fighter and started destroying the surrounding terrain.

After catching on to this, Gohan's counter-attack began. With his functioning hand he formed a rotating disc of energy: the Kienzan. He tossed it at an angle towards a nearby mountain before swinging the same hand to his other shoulder. The motion guided the disc to twist around the mountain and now was moving straight towards the Oozaru's back. Turles glanced back in time to leap backwards and dodge the initial strike. His landing made dents in the wasteland. Luckily, Gohan had expected him to notice the attack. What the monster hadn't noticed however, was that the disc of ki was still there. Splitting his fingers two the opposite sides of his hands, he forced the energy to split into two smaller Kienzans.

He flung his hand to the left, pulling the discs back towards the craters where his opponent's feet stood. The razor-sharp spinning edges cut across the sides of Turles' right leg, forcing him to lean onto the other foot. That was enough for Gohan, who rammed his boot full force into the side of Turles' snout. The impact caused the giant monster to twist to the side and stumble now onto his hands. A quick teleportation allowed the Super Saiyan to pop into the beast's line of sight. That was, until his fist completely cut off Turles' line of sight. The blow tossed him back up into the sky and made him roar with anger.

The more the battle raged on, the less control Turles had over his actions. When he first transformed he felt an innate desire to guard his tree and eat its fruit. Now, he was going off the pure instinct of an animal, and one that's feeling cornered. In response the Oozaru screamed, firing off waves of ki from its mouth that rained across the area. Each blast formed another crater deep enough to fill a lake before the dents in the ground merged together, connecting the entire area into one deep sink hole within the wastelands.

Gohan found himself buried beneath a few rocks, hiding from the wild monkey. His right arm was still injured but he could at least regain some control over his fingers. "I need to take out the tail," he mumbled to himself. The tail was the key to the problem but he still couldn't find a way to break through Turles' guard. He glanced at his surroundings. There was barely anything for him to rely on in this fight. No cover. No vantage points. Turles' latest outburst had destroyed everything. Shifting his body slightly he noticed a glimmer of light on the other side of the crater. _The Z-Sword! _Turles still hadn't caught onto this hiding spot. _This might be my last shot to turn the tide on the fight._ With that in mind, he shot towards the glare while charging in his free hand a small energy blast. As Turles turned to him, he fired it at the wounds his Kienzans made before.

Rather than attack, Turles could only howl in pain as Gohan snatched up his sword. He quickly wrapped it around his wrist and used two fingers to transfer him far from the sight. Emerging at another point in the field, he adjusted his hold over the blade and sized up the Oozaru. With only one good arm, this fight wouldn't be ideal. That's why he needed this distance. Taking a deep breath, he pulled his arm holding the Z-Sword back like he held a javelin and threw the weapon in the same manner as one. The initial toss released a quick cloud of dust around the fighter that dissipated shortly after he released it.

Now that the sword was moving towards the target, he pulled the same hand up to his forehead and began to charge up the remnants of his ki into it. Slowly, flashes of yellow light shot out of the palm while a small circle of ki grew larger and brighter within. The blade was now halfway between him and Turles. This was his chance. Forcing his damaged arm to move its fingers against his head, he teleported back to the crater.

Right in front of Turles emerged a yellow beam beginning from Gohan's left arm straight into the tyrant's eyes. The beast screamed and thrashed violently, his fists moving towards where Gohan was before he went blind. However, the Z-Fighter had already moved behind him and, with his left hand, grabbed hold of the brown tail. The Sword was now nearing its target. "Just a little more..." The blade zoomed through the stretched out limb, piercing it at its origin and splitting it up from the rest of the body.

Blood shot out and dowsed Gohan slightly. He snatched the still-moving weapon from the air and jumped back to the edge of the crater. The once giant monkey began shrinking quickly, all the while making pained expressions that made Gohan grimace. He swung his weapon back into his scabbard and prepared himself for the fight ahead once Turles had returned to his regular form. However, the shrunken beast did not wait until he had transformed before lashing out. Turles barreled towards the injured fighter, swinging his fist forward and catching Gohan off-guard. The hit was dead center in the chest, dragging his body alongside its motion until the arm pulled up into the sky. The warrior lost control over his entire body and could do nothing but continue drifting in the air until the momentum was lost and gravity took over.

He plummeted into a nearby building and landed beside some Yggdrasilians who were running back home to hide. They jumped back when he crashed and then circled around him. Releasing a loud and painful grunt, Gohan hoisted himself off the ground and onto his left knee. When he moved back onto his feet the people ran away in terror. _You're welcome._ As annoyed as he was by their reaction, he understood it. They didn't think he could beat Turles, so interacting with him, trying to help him, it was a death sentence. He'd grown accustom to it after fighting the Androids but the knowledge that he couldn't give them hope still made him guilty. _No,_ he brushed off the thought before his mind became too dark a place.

Expecting Turles to return to the tree, he traveled there quickly with Instantaneous Movement. In less than a second he was back with his Kai friends at the World Tree. Kibito turned to see him, while Supreme Kai remained focus on blasting away at the overgrown plant. "Have you taken care of our problem?" Kibito asked.

"I cut off the tail, so now I'm just waiting for-"

A flash of purple light pierced the sky suddenly. It barreled towards them like a meteor before crashing down in front of the Supreme Kai, the impact emitting waves of dust that shot past the three men. Rising out of the crater formed, Turles appeared before them.

"-that."

Turles' eyes were completely wild, glancing back and forth between the three and his body shook like a mad man. "M-m-m-my fruit..." he whispered. The three men only glared at him with confused expressions. "My fruit! Mine! Mine!" His voice was almost as loud as his Oozaru form, echoing through the nearly abandoned city. In a flash he rammed his elbow into Supreme Kai's face before leaping next towards Kibito and striking him in the chin with an uppercut. The two injured were flung backwards, leaving Gohan alone with the other Saiyan.

The fallen tyrant covered his face with his left hand as if to shield him from eye contact, while extending his other arm out to point at Gohan. "You ruined everything. It was all supposed to be mine! It was! It is! It will be!" He fire off a beam of ki that Gohan quickly caught and dissipated within his hands. The gesture only seemed to infuriate Turles more. He lashed out at the Super Saiyan, throwing punch after punch but always failing to connect. Gohan was too fast now that he had reverted back to his normal form and at this point was too powerful for the Saiyan to overcome. He wasn't aware of that though. At this point logic wasn't available to Turles, solely rage. In a matter of hours someone stomped over to his planet, defeated his men, cut off his tail and destroyed his fruit. His fruit.

The thought was driving him crazy. What was he without it. The fruit made him who he was. It made him stronger than Vegeta. It made him stronger than Freeza. It made him feel invincible.

_It makes you paranoid._

"Shut up."

_It makes you afraid._

"Shut up. Shut up."

_You're dependent on it._

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up."

_Turles, I can help you. Just let me speak to East._

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

"Who are you talking to?" Gohan asked him, confused by why Turles had gone from just grunting to chanting the same two words over and over again. The closest thing he got a reply was the explosion released out of Turles' body that blasted him back. His flesh burned from contact with the purple wave as it seared through the cloth on his chest. Before he could recover, a fist was planted across his cheek that dragged his entire face to the side. The momentum made him spiral out of control until Turles' hand wrapped around his boot and halted the motion.

He followed up by pulling the arm that held Gohan back, bringing him closer and allowing for his punch to bury deep into his gut. The hit made Gohan wail, but the sound was quickly silenced when Turles' boot came crashing down the back of his head and forced the fighter's face into the ground.

That wasn't enough for Turles though. He bounced off the dirt and fired off a barrage of purple beams that consumed Gohan's silhouette completely until just balls of smoke from each individual ki blast's collision merged into a single giant cloud. Satisfaction crawled onto his face briefly before a golden aura burst through the gray smoke right into his gut. Blood shot from Turles' mouth through the air and finally onto Gohan's burnt skin. The contact never even registered with Gohan, who was completely focused on dragging the other Saiyan through the sky.

He then jolted back, stopping his flight and letting Turles continue with the momentum. He clasped his hands together and proceeded to charge up a Kamehameha. His figure suddenly split into fragments before completely evaporating. He reappeared far away in Turles' path and released the blast in the opposing direction. The beam struck Turles and dragged him back the way he came. Another application of instantaneous movement allowed Gohan to catch up to the projectile his opponent became and smacked him down with the heel of his boot.

The hit let out a booming sound that echoed for miles across the sky. The loudness was only matched by the following noise: The collision between Turles' body and the tree. Gohan dropped down to the ground and braced himself for retaliation. His prediction was accurate enough but his reflexes weren't, as Turles' leg rocketed towards Gohan's gut. However, rather than have the sole of his boot smash into his opponent, Turles' back was thrown into the tree. Gohan glanced to his side and spotted the Supreme Kai, holding his hands out in Turles' direction. He nodded to his friend to express gratitude and received a smug smirk in reply.

A blast towards the tree from his other side told Gohan that Kibito had gotten up as well. The three stood closer together and braced for what happened next. Turles crawled out from his place in the tree, carrying a small branch with him. In it, there was one single fruit for him to eat.

_Turles, don't!_

Silence.

_You're going to die if you keep this up! You're body can't handle this!_

Silence.

_Turles, answer me!_

He didn't. He had been so fed up with this woman's voice but at this point couldn't even muster the strength to care anymore. He didn't care that she was a supposed 'Supreme Kai,' that she was killed by a 'Majin Buu,' that she was reincarnated by the tree planted here. He didn't care that when he ate the golden fruit, her spirit merged into his body, constantly commentating on his actions. He didn't care about anything anymore. So he brushed off her warnings. He bit into the fruit and felt the sweetness brush against his teeth with every bite, energizing him. His chest bulked out briefly in response to the sudden jump in power, before sinking to its normal size.

He exited the tree and glared at the three men who had so rudely interfered with his life. With a sigh, he dropped the branch by his feet and closed his eyes. It was over for him. Just like Freeza eventually lost his control over the universe, he too no longer had any control over this planet. He chuckled slightly. "I wish it could've lasted a little longer."

Gohan marveled at the dark purple light that shined from within Turles' chest. It was filled with enough power to wipe out an entire-

"Supreme Kai, Kibito! We need an energy barrier around the tree!" Gohan yelled out the orders against the sound of finality that roared from Turles' direction. The glow from his chest had grown now covered his entire body and left him an entirely purple silhouette before spreading out of his body and becoming a sphere that continued to increase in size. The two Kais glanced at Gohan before realizing the severity of the situation and following his command. They shot their hands up in Turles' direction and formed a sphere of energy that eclipsed the purple and covered the entire tree.

As the purple energy collided with the barrier, the Kais shook at its force. It was trying to break through and wouldn't let up. It wouldn't be as simple as stopping a regular attack. This energy was the core of the Saiyan's being, harnessing the sheer essence of life. Kibito felt his body waver against the force before falling to one knee. "Kibito!" Gohan ran to his friend's aid, leaving Supreme Kai to handle the threat alone.

* * *

Born from the World Tree and raised to be the overseer of the Eastern Universe, Supreme Kai had once believed himself to be all-powerful. He lived with others very much like him, though they had existed for much longer. Together they spent hundreds of years relaxing on their home planet without incident.

Things changed when Buu appeared. In the blink of an eye everyone he knew was lost to him. West Kai had been incinerated. North Kai was struck and killed by a blast. When he saw what remained of his friends, he realized that even with all the power he was born with there was still something more out there; the thought was terrifying to him. All the strength he took comfort in having was gone. He was no longer considered to be strong.

* * *

The memories flooded back to Supreme Kai: his friend's bodies, the fate of the universe and his own helplessness facing Majin Buu. He was too weak to stop him then and this was result. He was tired of not being able to fight back. As Turles' ki pushed against the barrier, the Kai forced out all of the energy he had through his hands and to the shield he created.

The overload of power shooting through his arms caused cuts to spread across his arms, with blood splitting out quickly after. He winced at the pain before blocking it out. Instead his eyes focused on Turles' purple silhouette. They locked eyes with each other before outputting even more of their strength. The barrier shook against the repeated pressure the Saiyan was applying. Supreme Kai leaned down on his right knee for support, his body now beginning to give in.

_You can do this..._

"What?" Supreme Kai couldn't understand what was happening. The voice was so familiar to him, yet he felt as if he hadn't heard it for a long time. It carried with it a general warmth like that of an older sister. "West? West, is that you?" His voice cracked as emotions welled up. His time spent with his brethren ran through his mind.

_Yes, it's me. Been a while, hasn't it?_

"W-where are you?"

_Stop Turles. Destroy the tree. This I ask of you..._

Her voice faded from his mind just as quickly as it came. He didn't know why he was hearing it, or where it came from but he knew that it was his friend. His sister. The brief words still gave him the strength he desperately needed. He pushed himself off his knee and stood tall again.

With a newfound resolve he fired off more energy from his body. Blood poured from his nose and eyes and his limbs shook from the effort it was taking to fend off Turles' final attack.

Turles knew his body was being torn apart from the attack but refused to submit. He'd destroy the world now that it wasn't his. He couldn't see anymore. He couldn't hear anymore. He couldn't feel anymore. His power was overwhelming, its dark purple light piercing the sky.

"N-no..." Supreme Kai whispered as his left arm dropped to his side. The power he was forcing out was too much and some of his limbs were failing now. He saw the result. Cracks formed across the barrier. Turles would be out in minutes and they would all be dead. Suddenly the barrier was restructured and energy was flowing through him. He looked over to the side and through the blood running down that weakened his vision, he spotted his friends. Kibito stood tall and was re-enforcing their energy shield with his own power. Next to him, Gohan was holding out one hand towards each of the Kais, providing them with his own ki. Though their literal aid was helpful, just the sight of his allies reinvigorated him.

With the new-found determination the three used all their might to push back against Turles' explosion. The purple blast became smaller and smaller until it barely covered the tree. A white flash eclipsed the entire world for a brief second, blinding the three and all those looking over to the sight of the World Tree.

When their eyes finally adjusted, they saw something completely unexpected. A crater had formed where the World Tree once was, leaving nothing of its existence behind. Similarly, Turles was nowhere to be found. "He killed himself..." Gohan muttered at the sight. "To go so far..." He wondered whether he was glad Turles was dead. Would he have killed him, given the chance? He killed an Android and the Meta-Coolers but weren't they just machines? The line was blurred but whether or not he'd have taken his life would be a question never cleared up for him.

After what seemed like forever, the three finally turned away from the "landmark" and turned to the Yggdrasilians flooding in their direction. They cheered at finally being liberated from the Planet Trade Organization and circled around their new heroes. "We should move along soon," Kibito advised.

Gohan heaved a disappointed sigh. He was exhausted from the encounter. In a day, they overthrew a planetary dictator and destroyed an ancient and evil tree that had been stealing energy from the planet. It would've been nice to spend some time relaxing and more importantly, resting. Observing his reaction, Supreme Kai recommended they dedicate some more time to helping Yggdrasil recover.

"B-but Master," Kibito began.

"Kibito, I've spent millions of years ignoring the universe's pleas. I'm making up for it." Supreme Kai sternly replied. With that, the three followed the direction of the crowd of gleeful citizens. It had been a long time since Supreme Kai ever felt proud of himself. Today would be the first of many such moments.

* * *

Everything was dark. He couldn't see at all. Until, after what he felt was centuries of waiting, he could see something. He was in a world of darkness but his own body was covered in a white glow that seemed to keep him from fading away into the shadows.

"Turles?" He turned towards the sound of someone calling his name. He gasped at the sight of her. She was the Western Supreme Kai, the woman whose voice constantly rang in his ears ever since he began to eat the fruit. Something was wrong though, he wasn't hearing her in his head this time but actually seeing her in front of him.

"W-what are you doing here?" He yelled accusingly. This wasn't making any sense. Where was he? How was he still alive? Why was she here and not in his head.

"We're in your mind Turles," She replied with a matter-of-fact tone. "Though I'm not sure how you got here or why it's suddenly so dark in here."

"This doesn't make any sense!" He yelled. "I blew myself up, how can I be here?"

"I don't know," she responded. "I can't believe you tried to blow up yourself and the planet!"

"Shut up," he muttered.

"How barbaric can you be? You starve the people and then you try to kill them?"

"Shut up."

"Why did I have to get stuck in the mind of a monster?" She wondered aloud. The comment set him off. He grabbed her by the collar of her outfit and hoisted her up in the air.

"Shut up! All you do is talk!" He roared into her face. His eyes looked monstrous, causing the Kai to be intimidated.

"Oh, having a disagreement I see?" A voice whispered from behind them. Turles released his hold over West and spun around to see a yellow imp in front of him.

"Who the hell are you?" Turles spat. The comment made the whiskers on the tiny figure's face twitch slightly before relaxing.

"I am the wizard Babidi. I created that tree you loved so much," he stated.

Turles' eyes lit up at his words but West only glared at him angrily. "Turles, this man is the worst monster in the Universe. He's caused the death of billions, including several kais. You can't trust him," she warned. Turles however didn't seem to care about her words and instead brushed them off completely. Instead, he eyed the wizard with excitement.

"Does that mean you could make another?" He asked. The question was exactly what the man wanted to hear, as shown by the smile creeping onto his face.

"Perhaps but it will take time. For now, how's this?" Babidi replied. With a wave of his hands, the tail Gohan had recently slashed off the Saiyan re-emerged fully. Turles glanced at it confused before beginning to feel it with his hand.

"This is my tail..." he mumbled to himself. A Saiyan warrior prided themselves on their tails. Losing his was a powerful blow to his ego. Seeing his reaction, West stepped forward between him and Babidi.

"Everything comes at a price. He'll try to entrap you with deals, you can't listen to everything he says!" The comment pulled Turles away from the sight of his tail to the Kai.

"Oh, and I suppose I should listen to you, the woman whose done nothing but haunt me?" He countered.

"You don't understand what he's capable of! He's just playing-" Suddenly she was cut off by the white glow around her becoming weaker and some of the shadows surrounding the three creeping up her body and binding her legs. _What?_

"Don't listen to that witch, Turles. I can give you whatever you wish for as long as you serve me. And that's all you care about, isn't it? You're not one to lead, you only want freedom, correct?" The wizard knew exactly what words to use on the Saiyan. Pleased with the positive reaction thus far, he continued. "Unfortunately, I can't create you a tree right now. The process takes time. But if you serve me, I will one day give you that fruit you desperately desire," he paused, looking to the bound Kai as the shadows wrapped further along her body and pressed her arms to her side, "without the nasty side-effects."

"Turles, please you have to listen to me! Whatever you think of me, understand that it's my duty to guard the universe. Don't listen to him!" She was begging him at this point, she had nothing left. The decision was his now as to who would inhabit his mind.

"Always whining, isn't she?" Babidi teased. The comment resonated with Turles and before any more words could escape her lips, the shadows wrapped around her mouth, sealing her voice. "Ah, that's better. Now Turles, the choice for what happens now is all yours to make. But tell me this, what has this woman ever done for you? Let me guess, something along the lines of belittling you, pestering you, undermining you?" Turles nodded, causing West's eyes to finally express fear. Babidi had the Saiyan in his grasp with his words. "All you have to do is accept me into your mind and I can have the power to finally erase her from this plane. All you have to do is agree. Will you accept me Turles?" The wizard asked the towering figure.

Turles glanced over in the direction of West. Her body was almost entirely covered in the shadow tendrils, leaving her unable to speak to him. _Unable to speak..._The thought popped up into his mind, allowing a smile to appear on his face. "Bye, bye, West." He taunted, waving her away with his hand. She tried to escape the darkness binding her but could feel herself be dragged beneath them into the void. She shook her head vigorously to break free of the tendril that kept her from arguing her case and reclaiming her place in the Saiyan's mind but the hold was too strong. She felt her chest be consumed by the darkness, her last sight be that of Turles accepting Babidi's hand and the wizard glaring over at her with a malicious grin. The sight made her eyes nearly well up into tears, but her head was swallowed by the shadows before they could fall. West was gone, and in her place the wizard remained.

* * *

**Author's Note:** _So, I have to let you know what the schedule is going forward. This is not the most recently written chapter. I've written more chapters and plan to keep writing them before releasing them around the same time. Given that I have had two long absences from the fanfic, one being from June to November and the other being from December to March, I feel that I should instead focus on just writing the chapters and then releasing them at a certain point. I plan to start releasing these chapters and the ones I'll be writing later on around the one year anniversary of the fanfiction. The reason for my decision to still release this one despite that is because while the entire story is clearly not finished, I would at least like to complete the saga before allowing my hiatus to continue. During both my breaks, I left in the final chapters of the respective sagas and feel that while the ending to these parts still foreshadow much to come, it would be nice for new readers to at least be able to have a distinct ending when catching up. Many times when I've been reading unfinished fanfictions, specifically dropped ones, the writer coincidentally left at a nail biting moment. While I accept that the story isn't finished, it's still kind of disappointing to leave off with any real conclusion. Anyway, that's basically it for what's happening. So until then, see you later and thanks for reading._


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